THE OREDIGGER

The student voice of the Colorado School of Mines

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Volume 92, Issue 24 April 23, 2012
STEVEN WOOLDRIDGE / OREDIGGER

News

Borate minerals demanded on the global market

Features 6

Meet our Geek of the Week Mike Burton

Golden enjoys beautiful Colorado spring-time weather as students prepare to take finals and finish the semester.

Sports 10

Jordan Francis Staff Writer

Veterans are great Natural gas shines entrepreneurs as a viable fuel

ter wars and service to the military do not have the sort of network back home that other adults do. He says that corporate America is not fulfilling to a veterans drive, as they tend to be more independent-minded people. As a result, many of them find entrepreneurship to be a more rewarding experience. McCoy explained that there are two problems which the AVE seeks to correct the way the world sees veterans, as people who are only capable of whatever sort of general work the military is doing at the time, and the way veterans see themselves, since veterans often do not recognize the value of their experience. The two methods McCoy proposed to fix these misconceptions are education and connections. In terms of education, the AVE is working with universities to build education programs so veterans can learn the fundamentals of starting a business. In terms of connections, the Association seeks to connect veterans with their community and new networks, partially through a ninety day boot camp that connects participants to various others in the industry and prepares them to pitch an idea to investors. Continued at Veterans on page 3

Check out this weeks club sport spotlight

Opinion 12

Ugg boots and other fads grind our grinds

The Association of Veteran Entrepreneurs (AVE) hosted a networking event Monday posing the question, Why are veterans excellent entrepreneurs? As Eric Johnson, Chief Operations Officer of the AVE, believes, being an entrepreneur is a lot of hard work there are a lot of qualities you need to stick through to launch a company, qualities he believe veterans generally possess in spades. A networking session before the event hosted representatives from many companies and organizations whose areas of expertise included economics, technology, auto loans, networking, start-ups, and commerce. Jefferey Reeves of Reeves Financial Group said that he likes to guide, mentor, and help [veterans] until they can stand on their own feet again in good times and bad. Kim Bishop, promoting the start-up video debate website SPAATS, said he believes that veterans are successful in the entrepreneurial world because they have a willingness to do [the work] well every time. Before keynote began, introductory speaker Daniel McCoy explained that the AVE exists to build a network for veterans, as many who return to the States af-

Lucy Orsi Business Manager of Advertising

Recently, Southwestern Energy (SWN) employees gathered to discuss the possibilities of vehicles that run entirely on compressed natural gas (CNG). Among the group from SWN, were a few employees currently traveling from Houston to Long Beach, California driving some of these CNG vehicles. A spokesperson for the company said, 2011 was a record setting year for natural gas production in which the companys production increased by 500 billion cubic feet, thats a 24% increase. These numbers make SWN the eighth largest producer of natural gas in the country. While the company also invests in a large share of oil reserves, they currently focus on natural gas due to the volatility of the petroleum industry. This change in focus caused SWN to push CNG vehicles as alternatives to standard petroleum fueled automobiles. The company believes that the United States has a plentiful supply of natural gas. CNG vehicles can utilize that natural gas and make the United States less dependent on foreign oil. Currently, the U.S. has well over 100 years of supplies at current use of natural gas. Because of the plentiful domestic supplies, CNG offers a more affordable option for future fuel sources. SWN

employee and Colorado School of Mines alumnus Orion Sandoval compared the $1.35 price per gallon of CNG to the $3.99 price of gasoline he saw driving into Mines. Additionally, the company touts CNG as a more environmentally friendly alternative to oil. When compared to using gasoline, natural gas is on average 20-75% cleaner in some of the key emissions that come out of your tailpipe everyday. SWN uses their own work force to kick-start the conversion to CNG. Just this past year, they awarded twenty-one employees with brand new CNG vehicles. The company also provides financial incentives to any employee who converts his or her own vehicle to CNG. The biggest cost in converting a car is getting an EPA approval, which Sandoval estimated to cost about $10,000. The company believes that CNG vehicles are a realistic alternative to gasoline. Sandoval explained that the mileage of CNG compares well to gasoline vehicles. Furthermore, according to Sandoval, CNG is as safe, if not safer than gasoline. This is because of the ignition temperature and the gaseous properties of the fuel. Compared to gasoline which pools on the ground when a leak springs, explosions are far less likely with CNG vehicles. Continued at fuel on page 3

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Black Hills, South Dakota - Researchers found fossilized relatives of modern-day octopus, squid, and cuttlefish in southern South Dakota. The find has led the researchers to question the lifestyle of these ancient creatures. Ammonites, as they are known, are likely the ancestors to the octopi and squid, and it has long been postulated that they roamed the ocean floor searching for food for their entire lives. The new fossils suggest that not all of these bottom-feeders were nomadic, and that some lived in one place. The fossils were discovered in an area of South Dakota that used to be full of deepocean methane seeps, providing a place for the ammonites to congregate for food. The prehistoric mollusks were among the longest-lived and longest living ancient creatures.

Josh Kleitsch, Staff Writer

Concepcin, Chile - According to a new study by astronomers in Chile, dark matter particles that hold the universe together may not be present in this part of the galaxy. Many astronomers and cosmologists are doubting the findings of the study, because of the implications of there being no dark matter holding this part of the Milky Way together. This poses problems to scientists understanding of the galaxy, because much of what is known about the cosmos is based upon the existence of an invisible particle whose gravity holds everything together.

Cambridge, Massachusetts - A group of mathematicians from Harvard University is using slacklining to understand how the brain works to keep a person upright when their balance is compromised. Furthermore, they are studying what is necessary to make learning balance easier. They found that there is a sweet spot where the brain is capable of responding in time to compensate for the movement of the line, while maintaining balance. This sweet spot can be modeled mathematically and shows the relationship between the frequency of vibration in the line and lateral movement which enables the slackliner to stay on the line.

Haifa, Israel - Light always travels in a straight line, unless some outside force causes it to do otherwise, says empirical observation. New studies show that light does not actually have to travel in a straight line, but can actually curve in mid-air without any external forcing. The selfbending light, as it is being called, was originally thought of and modeled in the 1970s, but was not understood until 2007. Even then the group that performed the tests was unable to make light bend more than eight degrees. Last week a group of researchers in Israel succeeded in bending light at any angle, even a full circle. They do this through constructive and destructive interference in the light waves. The discovery represents a significant breakthrough in how light can be manipulated without external forcing.

Oredigger Staff
Katie Huckfeldt Editor-in-Chief Deborah Good Managing Editor Steven Wooldridge Webmaster Barbara Anderson Design Editor Carissa Summerfelt Business Manager of Sales Lucy Orsi Business Manager of Advertising Ian Mertz Copy Editor Arnaud Filliat Asst. Copy Editor Trevor Crane Content Manager Stephen Hejducek Content Manager David Tauchen Faculty Advisor

Headlines from around the world

Josh Kleitsch, Staff Writer
Norwegian Anders Bering Breivik is on trial for the murder of 77 people last year, whom he killed in shooting and bombing attacks. Breivik says that he has been mentally preparing himself for what he calls a war on the Muslim invasion of Europe, by mentally de-humanizing Muslims and teaching himself to build car bombs. If the court decides he is sane, then he will likely be sentenced to 21 years in prison. Last week, the Indian military demonstrated that they have the ability to launch a nuclear missile as far into China as Beijing and Shanghai. The test of the new Agni-V cruise missile accomplished what India had hoped it would showing the Chinese their long-range capabilities. George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in February, 2012, has been convicted of seconddegree murder. The judge granted him $150,000 bond and released him on the condition that he will wear an electronic tracking device and will not be allowed to use guns, drugs, or consume alcohol for an unspecified length of time. The South Koreans tested a new long-range missile with the capability to reach anywhere in North Korea, and have issued a warning to North Korea that they will retaliate if the North takes any hostile action. This comes only a week after North Korea failed to launch an orbital satellite into space. Given the new circumstances, it is unclear whether or not North Korea will continue to test its nuclear program. The Syrians defied a United Nations-backed internal ceasefire that took place two weeks ago, and bloodshed escalated in the last week. The UN approved a 300-man observer military mission to Syria in order to determine the extent of the ongoing bloodshed. The Syrian government has been ordered to withdraw all of its military vehicles from the cities and towns throughout Syria. Al-Assads government has yet to respond. British Petroleum has been ordered to pay $64 million to roughly 7,300 residents and businesses that were affected by the oil spill two summers ago. The residents and businesses were wrongfully denied payment initially, or had their claims incorrectly processed and received less than they were guaranteed. To date BP has paid over $6 billion for the spill.

Local News
In Central City, Colorado, pieces of history went for auction last Saturday. One historic Central City building, last used for the Doc Holliday Casino, was once a bank and a brothel. The building was constructed in 1874 and welcomed many of the Wild Wests most recognized figures, such as Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok.

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M B Z Y A P

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M Z Q Y O

In Denver, Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation initiated a campaign to enforce seat belt laws in rural areas that resulted in 2,116 seat belt citations from April 1-8. The citations included 98 violations for drivers that had children under the age of 16 that were not restrained. According to Colorado State Patrol Chief, James Wolfinbarger, the goal of the campaign was to encourage people to buckle up. Wolfinbarger continued, stating that 187 people were killed in crashes on rural highways last year representing 60 percent of the states total fatalities.

M C P B

Q M C M T

In Aspen, Colorado, authorities say that a teenager has confessed to planning to beat up an acquaintance, tie him up and leave him to starve to death in the woods. According to Police Sgt. Stu Curry, the 15-year-old suspect was arrested last Friday on an unrelated probation issue and could face a charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

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Natural gas shines Veterans are great entrepreneurs as a viable fuel

Continued from page 1 Natural gas pipelines run to most homes in the US, so fueling the cars can occur in the home. However, because of the lack of CNG in some areas of the US, the employees have been forced to take a less direct route to California. Once they arrive, they will have made the trip on 95% natural gas, with the other 5% coming from gasoline during a stretch of the trip where no CNG fuel stations existed. This brings up another benefit of CNG vehicles which is that they run on both gasoline and CNG. The company is enthusiastic about the future possibilities of CNG vehicles in the US and invited people to research the vehicles that made the stop at Mines during the trip to California. perate conditions of the local children and started working to get On this note, McCoy turned toys, school supplies, vitamins, and the microphone over to the main other supplies to them. He continspeaker of the night, retired Ma- ued this venture into a non-profit orjor Thomas Deirlein of Thundercat ganization once he returned home. Technology. Deirlein began his talk The organization has raised money by pointing out that although vet- to perform 40 life-saving surgeries erans represent less than 5% of on children in the area. While still the population, they own 13% of in the Middle East, he was shot all small businesses in the United in the pelvis by a sniper. He was States, so in a way, vets are serv- able to return home not long after his recovery and ing America again not in In a way, vets are serv- r e h a b i l i t a t i o n were over, but defense, [but] in ing America again not doctors told him the economy. he might never Deirlein bein defense, [but] in the walk again. He gan his career has thus far run in the military economy. the Army Tenat West Point, Miler and two went to Ranger school and became a Ranger triathlons. Such determination to sucand served for several years in the Army before returning home. He ceed helps make veterans effective attempted to work for an existing in entrepreneurship, but Deirlein corporation before realizing that was adamant that there are many he was not satisfied with that job. other reasons which explain their He joined a start-up because he proficiency in this area. He says wanted to build a great company that military experience teaches and once he got started, he said, trust and a mentality of having to It was then I realized Id never go complete the mission despite limback. He spent many years en- ited resources and incomplete joying the success of his start-up information. He says that great before being called back into active entrepreneurs expect loyalty and build loyalty, which is a skill he duty. While in the Baghdad, Deirlein believes time in the military helps noticed the needs and often des- foster. When asked to boil things Continued from page 1

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ALL PHOTOS KATIE HUCKFELDT / OREDIGGER

The SWN car is modified to run on compressed natural gas or traditional gasoline.

Mines models the inner workings of supernovas

John Speirs Staff Writer

down to the basics, Deirlein claims that there are three main qualities he sees in veteran entrepreneurs leadership, persistence and resilience, and flexibility and adaptability. He believe the latter quality to be especially important, pointing out that survival of the fittest does not necessarily mean that the strongest survive. It means that those who are most able to adapt survive, or as his Marine friend put it, semper Gumby: always be flexible. Deirleins conclusions on how well-equipped veterans are to succeed in the entrepreneurial world impressed many in the audience, including Commanding Officer Bill Mahoney of the U.S. Navy, who says that he works to teach his students at the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School many of the sort of qualities Deirlein highlighted and praised, including leadership and relationship skills that will help them both in and out of the military. The talk left the audience members, veterans and civilians alike with a greater respect and understanding that veterans are capable of doing so much more than just the actions they performed while on duty. Deirlein summed it up when he said, I think entrepreneurs and small businesses [are] what make America great.

Modifications to the engine include additional fuel injectors for the compressed natural gas.

The gas cap has an additional port to fill up the natural gas tank. The vehicle can go about 300 miles on one tank.

The only change to the interior of the vehicle is a small indicator light that shows the level of natural gas left in the tank.

Supernovas are a common occurrence in space, but their inner workings cannot be observed on Earth. Using special equipment, researchers including some from Mines created model supernovas that gave insight into the inner workings of stars. Dr. D. W. Bardayan, in collaboration with Dr. Uwe Griefe, and CSM graduates, works at Oak Ridge National Laboratory studying what happens when stars explode. He uses gases in the laboratory to recreate supernova style explosions. The astrophysical explosions he is referring to are nuclear reactions inside of stars that are responsible for the creation of most elements. While hydrogen, helium, lithium and beryllium were present shortly (astrophysically speaking) after the big bang, all other naturally observable elements are created through the process of nucleosynthesis inside of stars, and the matter is ejected into the universe when the star goes supernova. Nova explosions, which are distinct from the concept of a supernova, are caused by the accretion of matter on the surface of a white dwarf or neutron star. This occurs primarily in binary star systems, when the white dwarf can leech hydrogen from another nearby star. Because of the thermodynamic conditions caused by this leeching, pressure inside the star is dominated by density (by the exclusion principle) instead of temperature. Thus, as density increases, temperature and pressure both increase, allowing high energy levels that push subatomic particles together and cause thermonuclear reactions. These reactions release energy, and the temperature is then raised even higher,

spurring the reactions on further still. before arriving at a detector which It is this process that provides the measures the energy and chargeenergy nucleosynthesis needs. to-mass ratio to identify its atomic Since scientists cannot go to number. Incidents of 18Ne are rea nova explosion to study it in de- corded, and differing initial energies tail, they instead look at the nuclear are used to identify a connection physics they can do on earth in an between energy (of the incident effort to study at least one portion 17F) and fusion rate, or the number of what is going on when a nova of 18Ne recorded at the other end. occurs. One worthwhile reaction in- This allows the researchers to find a volves the formation of 18Ne, which resonance energy for these fusion decays into 18F, an isotope whose reactions, and that information leads abundance is readily observable in to clues of the conditions that must stars. The reaction involves a 17F be present inside of stars to make smashing into a 1H and creating the these reactions occur. Putting all the 18Ne isotope. clues together could lead to a greatBardayan uses the Holifield Ra- er understanding of exactly how eledioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) ments are made inside of stars. at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to The colloquium concluded that create conditions that are similar to the resonance energy (or energy the reaction occurring inside stars. which caused the highest fusion reThis facility makes use of a 13- sto- action rate) of the 18Ne production ry-high concrete bunker that houses reaction, reported as a temperature, a cyclotron, accelerator, and other was below 0.3 GK. important equipment. The work presented was in colThe process uses the cyclotron laboration with Griefe, a professor to create 17F and strip off all the in the Physics department at CSM, electrons. The beam is then accel- and Kelly Chipps, a CSM student erated to stellar energy levels and who graduated in 2008 with a docbombed into a hydrogen target pre- torate degree and current postdoc, pared elsewhere at the lab. Since in addition to various other organizahydrogen is highly explosive at con- tions affiliated with Oak Ridge. centrations above 4% in air, the lab COURTESY NASA / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS is equipped with safety alarms and procedural precautions to prevent disasters of Hindenburg proportions. Once the hydrogen has interacted with the fluoride, the product is sent through m u l t i p l e Scientists look at nuclear physics to model a s e p a r a t o r s supernova explosion.

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New legislation threatens CSM

Zachary Woolsey Guest Writer
Ever since the 1950s there has been a dream in metropolitan Denver to have a beltway system, a super highway that would circumscribe Denver and bring together the Denver metro area and all of Colorado. The beltway made progress early on and was nearly complete, but when it was time for the beltway to go through Golden, the city refused, citing that it was unnecessary and a waste of the citys efforts at that time. This has been the story for the last 60 years and now, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners, and some state legislatures have felt that they have no further choice but to create an authority that would create the beltway with or without the consent of the City of Golden. The new proposed legislation, the Beltway Economic Enhancement Program (BEEP), would have dominant eminent domain which means it could take over not only private, but also public land possibly including the Colorado School of Mines. The authority would consist of 18 voting members, with Golden receiving one vote, and only a majority of quorum would be needed to take the land BEEP deemed necessary. And although not likely, some early plans indicate that BEEP could take land that includes a large portion of Greek row and the ball fields. A potential eight-lane highway also creates a safety concern for those who make the commute to school from Mines Park. The Associated Students of the Colorado School of Mines (ASCSM) was first notified of this issue on Monday, April 15, and immediately began investigating. After having conversations with the Golden City Council, The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners, the CSM Administration, and others closely tied to the matter, ASCSM has gotten a clearer picture about what is being proposed and the background surrounding the issue. Both the City of Golden and the Jeffco Commissioners have separate opinions on how to handle the beltway issue. Mayor Sloan and the rest of the Golden City Council believe that the beltway has no business in the city despite safety, traffic congestion, and air pollution issues along the 93/6 corridor. Don Rossier, the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for Jeffco, sees the beltway as an uncompleted project that threatens the commerce and of not only Denver and its metro area, but the entire state. Jeffco disregards that the potential eight-lane highway could threaten commerce within Golden and decrease Goldens aesthetic appeal. Both sides have different ideas and perspectives on the issue, but ASCSM has determined that

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US 93/ 6th Ave. could go through Greek Row and Mines sports facilities
there is no immediate threat on the issue because it will most likely not pass or even be introduced in state legislature due to the session ending on May 9. Furthermore, it is likely that Governor John Hickenlooper, who preaches regional compromise, would veto the bill if it even got that far. However, this is clearly an issue that will come up again and again and therefore, it is the ASCSMs position that such a law is undesirable because of its potential threat to

the welfare of the school. Moreover, it is imperative that Golden and Jeffco come to an agreement on the issue. ASCSM will do its best to help facilitate the issue so that Greek row, CSM sports facilities, and student safety are top priorities, and that these changes would only enhance the City of Golden and Mines. As more information comes in, ASCSM and the CSM Administration will dissect the issue with scrutiny and will notify students.
KATIE HUCKFELDT / OREDIGGER

High Grades 2012 journal is a work of art

Nicole Johnson Staff Writer

Water is an underlying factor in the tumultuous Middle East

Jordan Francis Staff Writer
lution of existing water resources, and poor water distribution systems currently in place. Zinni went on to point out that everything is connected, and as such, these existing problems build on each other and contribute to many other growing issues, such as the loss of arable land from poor management and conservation. In addition mass migrations and greater urbanization put a higher and often impossible strain on the cities to provide even more water for their populace. In order to remedy the situation, Zinni explained that long-term solutions need to be found for this pressing issue. In order to improve the situation, he suggested that the Middle East cooperate as a region in this effort and must decide

This new legislation threatens CSMs Greek Row and many of our sports facilities.

town of many of the bands members according to Hannah Lewis artist biography. The balance beHigh Grade, the Colorado School tween the many genres of music and of Mines Literary Arts Journal, re- spoken word performances persists leased its 2012 edition on Friday throughout the journal. April 20 at 5:30 pm. Those who In the art section, the photos attended the release party were range from a somber tone as seen treated to drinks, free food, an elab- in Baby Lost His Head by Meghan orate display, and readings from the Helper, to a playful tone in Dragon journal. All genres were represented and Dino, Exploding Bubbles by at the readings with several music Kari Kron. The topics of High Grades pieces (both instrumental and non- poetry range from social-political isinstrumental), poetry readings, and sues, such as transgender people one of the journals short stories, embracing their identity in A beautiSurfacing. Shane Schrader, Edi- ful woman trapped in a mans body tor in Chief of High Grade, thanked readying herself for the ball, direceveryone for coming and introduced tions from her inner voice by Calin each perMeserschmidt, former with High Grades 2012 edition con- to embracing the exceptains 33 poems, 5 short stories, ones inner nerd tion of himin Introduction self. High 36 photos and 14 tracks on an to Physics by Grades facChristina Bailo. ulty adviser High Grade accompanying CD. Toni Lefton, also contains stepped in to present Schrader as poems by Rachel Ryan, Engineerthe partys host performed. ing Physics 2011, who is this years High Grades 2012 edition con- recipient of the Blackwell Prize which tains 33 poems, 5 short stories, 36 recognizes artistic contribution from photos and 14 tracks on an accom- a member of the engineering and panying CD. With over 50 contribu- science fields. The fiction in High tors in the journal, High Grade staff Grade continues to balance different noted this year was a great year for emotions with Summer Lane by submissions, especially in the mu- Kyle Schulz, which describes a man sic genre. The CD, called Sound exploring a rundown house from his Between the Static, connects the past, and Tumbleweeds by Tyler many different genres of music by Scott, which tells a story about life a small clip of static that represents after death. tuning the stations on a radio. The So the next time you are rushCD tracks range from peaceful, in- ing about campus, pick up a High strumental pieces like My River Grade journal near you. With so by Ryan Brusca, to a song about a many genres and outlets for expresrecent murder in Lafayette, CO en- sion, there is sure to be something to titled Murdercide Up by Ska Skank relate even the strictest of engineers Redemption. Lafayette is the home- to the artist world.

Retired Four-star General Anthony Zinni of the United States Marine Corps explained how his experiences in the Middle East lead him to understand one of the great underlying and often overlooked factors in the tumultuous region, water politics. There are many other wellknown issues that contribute to disagreements in the Middle East, but Zinni says that the other problems get more attention. As a result, people tend to forget how crucial it is for these states to maintain the ability to supply their people with sufficient water. Only two countries in the entire Middle East, Turkey and Iran, are self-sufCOURTESY US GOVERNMENT ARCHIVES / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ficient in terms of water. All other countries depend on water imported from other places. About two-thirds of the Arab states depend on water from non-Arab states, adding to the tension when water issues arise. Zinni proceeded to explain that there are many problems which contribute to the shortage of water resources. Included among these is the fact that many of the irrigation systems in that part of the world are poorly engineered. There is also a lack of conservation, almost no commercialization of water, poor and disjointed upstream manage- Many people tend to forget how crucial it is for these states to ment of the water, pol- maintain the ability to supply their people with sufficient water.

how to use their existing resources together to manage the water systems properly and share ideas of how to improve on the current system. He also suggested that there ought to be more work put into technology development and technology sharing, such as creating and maintaining microecosystems to help with sustainability and more emphasis on recycling. Zinni also thinks that more education and awareness on the situation could help vastly improve the problems. The former general said that his time in the military has taught him how to be a good steward of the environment. As a result he is quite determined to use this knowledge to help the water politics crisis in the Middle East.

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april 23, 2012

Pricetag week CUs Boulder campus highlights gifts shuts down for 4/20 from Mines donors
Arnaud Filliat Asst. Copy Editor Courtesy of Colorado School of Mines Foundation
Did you know that nearly 1/3 of your education is funded by outside support? If you look around campus this week you will see price tags attached to items on campus lab equipment, computers, exercise machines, musical instruments, and more. Every year, thousands of generous alumni, parents and members of the campus community give to The Mines Fund and other areas on campus to help COURTESY CSM FOUNDATION fund scholarships, research, student activities and more. The price tags represent a few examples of items that donors have supported. Stop by for free snack and learn more about how private donations impact your education! Wednesday, April 25th free donuts and Price tags showcase donor support in the coffee (8:30- Economics and Business Department. 10:30am at the corner of 16th and Illinois in front of Meyer Hall) Friday, April 27th free cookies and lemonade (1-4pm at the corner of 16th and Illinois in front of Meyer Hall) Be sure to pick up a scavenger BINGO card on Wed. The first 50 students to turn in a completed BINGO card on Friday of various price tags around campus will be entered to win one of two gift certificates to the bookstore. Visit giving.mines.edu/students to learn more about how philanthropy impacts you as a student. and adding that the action goes against the students First Amendment rights. On Twitter there seems to have This year 4/20 comes with nubeen a recent outbreak of tweets merous political movements advoreferring to 420 and the Mary cating for the decriminalization of Jane Day. Although festivities non-medical cannabis in the Unitabound on 4/20, Students at the ed States. This is at a time when University of Colorado at Boul- voters in Colorado and Washingder were not celebrating as their ton are scheduled to vote on legalcampus was closed and officials ization in the fall. stopped the annual 4/20 rally. Similar to many traditional Regarding holidays, 4/20 the cancella- A student leader disagreed has been comtion of the 4/20 d. saying, I do not see any m e r c i a l i z e by rally and cloConcerts sure of cam- justification for the univer- p o t - f r i e n d l y pus, Univermusicians like sity spokesman sity shutting it down, and Willie Nelson Bronson Hilliard and Cypress said, We dont adding that the action goes Hill and the consider this showing of a a protest. We against the students First d o c u m e n t a r y consider this on Bob Marley, Amendment rights. people smoking considered a pot in the sunhero of cannashine. This is a gathering of people bis supporters, were all planned engaging in an illegal activity. for April 20. Popular marijuana A student leader disagreed say- dispensaries such as at the one at ing, I do not see any justification Harborside Health Center in Oakfor the university shutting it down, land offered deals on ounces of

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Borate minerals are a demanded commodity Senior class raises money to give back on the global market
to Mines campus
Arnaud Filliat Asst. Copy Editor Will Parker Staff Writer
cluded Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Chemistry and Geochemistry, Economics and BusiOver one third of the fund- ness, Geology and Geological ing for Colorado School of Mines Engineering, Geophysics, Metalcomes from outside support. Each lurgical and Materials Engineering, year, over 4,000 alumni, parents, and Mining Engineering. administration, faculty, staff, and The larger departments comcoaches make gifts to give back to peted in the Mega-bots category. the school. The Chemical and Biological EnThis year, the senior class raised gineering, Civil and Environmental over five thousand dollars through Engineering, Electrical Engineering various fundraisers to give back to and Computer Science, MechaniMines as their graduation gift. Last cal Engineering, Petroleum EngiT h u r s d a y s neering, b a r b e c u e The CSM Foundation organized and Physwas the final ics deevent. The the event along with the se- partments CSM Founwere each dation or- nior class gift committee. The a part ganized the of this event along ASCSM senior class co-funded group. with the seA c nior class gift the event, which included food c o r d i n g committee. to Lydia and music. The ASCSM Berger of senior class the Mines co-funded the event, which in- Fund, Petroleum engineering is cluded food and music. Seniors winning the mega-bots and Geolothat attended the event could give gy is winning the mini-bots. Those back to the school through a gift are actually the departments that booth at the barbecue. won last year too. CSM President In addition to the barbecue, an- Bill Scoggins, is offering to match other event that the senior class the senior class donation, as well hosted was the Mine-bots compe- as the winner of the Mine-bots tition between the various depart- competitions. ments on campus. They were split The Mines Fund helps supinto two categories, the mini-bots port all activities on and off camand the mega-bots based on de- pus through Digger Dial and much partment size. more. Their influence can be seen The mini-bots competition was around campus in the form of large held for departments with fewer tags showing how contributions than forty seniors. This group in- have helped support Mines.

marijuana for those with medical licenses, as well as free mugs and T-shirts for buyers. Although 4/20 is a common reference nowadays, the origin of the phrase is relatively unknown. According to Wikipedia and other sources, the earliest use of the term began among a group of teenagers in San Rafael, California, in 1971. The group called themselves the Waldos. They first used the term in connection with their plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop in 1971. In their plan, The Waldos designated 4:20 PM as their meeting time. Furthermore, they named the plan 4:20 Louis, and with their multiple failed attempts to find the crop, they eventually shortened it to 4:20. This developed into a codeword that police used to designate the occurrence of a marijuana event, and one that teens used to refer to pot smoking in general. The code was spread by followers of the Grateful Dead and stuck because parents and authorities often did not know what it meant.

thirty years of age, the situation is problem through exports. These much worse, with unemployment companies were able to find a reaching about 50%. In Spain, the large market for tile and by exportBorates are important in the situation is even more dire. The ing are able to stay afloat. Katsiouleris then spoke about modern economy. The minerals, unemployment rate is already at named as such because they con- 22.8% and Katsiouleris described the issue of currency exchange tain the element boron, are most their economy as being in a com- rates. Rio Tintos biggest competitor is a Turkish governmentwell known for their use in the plete collapse. This proves to be a difficult situ- owned minerals company where touch screen glass that is the key to most smartphones and tablets. ation for Katsiouleris Rio Tinto be- the recent devaluation of Turkeys Because of the demand for the cause many of Rio Tintos clients Lira has made it more difficult for final products that include bo- come from the Southern Mediter- Rio Tinto to compete in Europe rates, they have become a world ranean. Spe- COURTESY OF MINDAT.ORG / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS since it costs the Turkish commodity company and borate fewer Euros producto produce ers such the same as Rio amount of Tinto Minproduct. erals are Tu r n i n g becomto the future, ing major Katsiouleris players on said, Minerthe world als, especialstage. ly in the U.S. B o b economy Katsioulwill have a eris, Chief very big role C o m m e rto play. He cial Officer spoke of the of Rio Tinto population of Minerals, India, 65% discussed of the affluent the current Middle Class economic Borate minerals are known for their use in touch screen glass. is under forty, situation around Europe as it pertains to cifically, Spain and Portugal use what do they want? Glass. This borates. [The] situation in Greece borates in the production of tiles glass contains borates which will is significantly worse than what to give them a smooth, glossy fin- drive up the demand for more of you see on TV, he said. The ish. With those two economies the minerals, which will help out Southern Mediterranean today in as much distress as they are his company Rio Tinto. Due to this demand, Katsiois probably one of the most eco- now, the demand for borates has nomically depressed portions dropped, hurting Rio Tinto. Yet, uleris recommended that people of the world. He explained that even with these economic chal- paint soon because, The price currently Greece is at 21.8% un- lenges, Katsiouleris said that a few of paint [which contains borates] employment, up from 13.6% in tile companies were able to over- is going to quadruple in the next January of 2010. For those under come this European economic year.

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This week in Colorado history Fill your cup at

Preparation for graduation and the new year
Deborah Good Managing Editor
The Colorado School of Mines declined to renew five faculty contracts this week in 1916. The Colorado Transcript reported that this was due to a general policy of retrenchment, in other words, cost-cutting. On the other end of the spectrum, the school founded a department of applied engineering with Ralph R. Knowles as head. CSM also created a department of English and foreign languages. Although the professor to head it had not yet been found, he was required to be able to teach English, German, Spanish and maybe French. Additionally, the school hired Fred G. Carter to take entire charge of the department of physical education and to act as head coach of all teams. Carter was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and an expert in both sports and medicine. in which no one was spared. In honor of their upcoming Their graduation jubilance did graduation, the Class of 1916 nothing to improve their athletinvaded the sacred precincts of ic achievements, as the senior Guggenheim hall and took their baseball team lost to the varsity last chance to be boys again just team. for a day. Unlike todays graduates who The celmust contend ebration surely In honor of their upcom- with an uncerannoyed lotain job marcal residents, ing graduation, the Class ket, the class as they awoke of 1916 had to the sound of 1916 invaded the sa- almost certain of sixteen dycred precincts of Guggen- employment. namite blasts. According The seniors heim hall and took their to alumni ascreated their sociation secown parade, Orville last chance to be boys retary apparently Harrington, Of again just for a day. in costume, course we find a through the few mining engistreets of Goldneers that dont en to Guggenheim. have to work or dont want to Once there, they held a mock work, but there is no trouble now faculty meeting, which amused placing those seeking positions. even the professors being Harrington felt that the continmocked. The seniors also pub- ued mining boom would result in lished a five-column newspaper, increased CSM employment.

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april 23, 2012

Arnaud Filliat Asst. Copy Editor

Intl Tea Time

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Sponsored by the Kuwaiti Student Club and the International Student and Scholar Services, the International Tea Time offered the Mines community middle eastern cuisine on Wednesday. The event featured home-made Kuwaiti food and snacks cooked by the KSC. Among the ethnic food offered, guests were treated to bamin, a snack made of flour and sugar that is similar to the American donut. Bamin are similar to the donut in texture but are smaller and sweeter than the American counterpart and is sometimes filled with saffron. Also available was shir berenj, a popular rice pudding. This dessert ARNAUD FILLIAT / OREDIGGER dish is mainly made from milk, rice, and sugar. Other dishes included saffron cake, cinnamon sugar dips in tea, and tea Mohammed Naqi and members of the Kuwaiti by itself. The fol- Student Club sponsored International Tea Time.

lowing is a recipe for traditional shir berenj that everyone is sure to love. For this recipe you will need a pot, access to a stove, a measuring device, and the following ingredients. 1 quart milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/3 cup of rice 1/2 cup of cream or evaporated milk 1/3 cup of sugar 1/2 teaspoon of salt Nutmeg or cinnamon (to add taste) Directions: Slowly heat milk. Add rice, sugar, and salt and cook over low heat for forty-five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vanilla and cream or evaporated milk. Then let cool and sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon to taste.

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How I Met Your Mother keeps plot dynamic

Lucy Orsi Business Manager of Advertising
One of the problems with television is that in order to turn profits, writers are often forced to ruin some of the artistic value of their shows. Certain shows start off with incredible premises and interesting characters, but after six seasons their characters and plots seem to tread water. If the writers pursue character and/or plot development, they risk changing the formula that made the show so successful. This occurs notable in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The show revolves around Ted Mosby, whose older self narrates the show as a father in the year 2030 telling his kids the story of how he met their mother. For some inexplicable reason, Bob Saget narrates and not the actor who actually plays Ted. Perhaps the writers planned on Ted hitting a second puberty... at age thirty-five. When the show started in 2005, the writers probably did not think too much about if the show went on for seven seasons with an eighth one in the works. Lucky for them, the show has had a lot of success, despite an annoying laugh track and a formula that bears a striking resemblance to that of Friends. This puts them in a somewhat difficult position; they must continue to prolong an already complicated and absurdly long story. The show ends, theoretically, when Ted meets his wife, and so season after season the writers add details to the story. However, the details that actually pertain to

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meeting Teds wife took a backseat in recent seasons. Instead, the writers changed the focus to character development that prepares Ted to meet his future wife. While the show remains funny, the last two seasons took an unexpectedly dark turn. In order to maintain the attention of viewers, the writers placed their characters in some trying situations. Ted was left at the altar. The father of Teds best friend, and one of the main characters, died. Teds old flame discovered that she was unable to have children. Her boyfriend proposed to her, and then left her upon learning about her medical issues. This sitcom has covered a lot of depressing material. This results in fewer laughs and more tear jerking scenes. Fortunately, the writers used different formats for every season, but the current emotional struggle must end soon. At some point, Ted and the gang must come out on the other side of the tunnel. When they do, the end of the show will loom and the writers will know that they must create a suitable ending for the show. Hopefully, they will maintain the integrity of the show and end it before the character arcs become monotonous. The bedrock of the show, the comedic dynamic between the characters, creates a dramatic storyline with a limited timeline. The quality of the show suffered somewhat from an overextension of the story. If the show does not end within the next two years, viewer interest in How I Met Your Mother will decrease as their interest in the characters falls.

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Fun. gives a crowd-pleasing performance

Lucy Orsi Business Manager of Advertising
A couple of weeks ago Fun. played a show at the Fox Theater in Boulder. It was one of three stops they made in Colorado, all of which sold out. This was not surprising considering the recent success of the band, but for long time fans, it was somewhat disconcerting. The fact that more people are attending their concerts is yet another reminder of the changes they have undergone. It is not that more people like them that make them less appealing, but that their sound has become less distinctive and more crowd-pleasing. The sold out shows are merely a symptom of this. But even the most jaded fan cannot help but loose all inhibitions the second Nate Reusss vocal chords tear across the room at their live shows. Before Fun. came on, the opening band Sleeper Agent did an impressive job getting fans pumped for the headliners. The band captivated the audience. Sleeper Agent is less poppy and more grunge rock than Fun. The fact that they still managed to win over Fun.s audience is surprising. Much of this can be attributed to the enthusiasm that lead singer Alex Kandel brought with her to the stage. Her voice and expressions are unique. She is almost as much fun to watch as she is to listen to. The highlight of their set was their song Thats My Baby in which Kandels voice balanced perfectly with guitarist Tony Smiths. At least momentarily, it

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seemed like they might upstage their headliners. While Sleeper Agents performance was striking, Fun. still reigned victorious. The new album was filled with overproduced drum loops and unnecessary auto-tune. It made the band seem less genuine and too easily distracted by fancy machinery. In their live performance though, they stripped away most of these decorations. There was no autotune, the drum loops were less prominent, and most importantly, Reusss vocals were pushed front and center. Their set actually started with a little bit of drama, courtesy of a fight breaking out a few rows back from the stage. The band successfully used this to establish a report with the crowd as they made fun of the rabble-rousers. Reuss was as charming as ever and maintained this dynamic through the rest of their set and encore. Their set was a good mix of songs from Some Nights and Aim and Ignite. The standouts of the set were Barlights, Some Nights, and opening song Why Am I the One? The band was engaging and energizing and even the most cynical of audience members were probably tapping their feet to the beat. When they ended their final song of their encore and left the stage, their absence was truly felt. Hopefully, on the next album, Fun. will try to apply some of their live styles to their recordings. Stripping the songs of their studio amenities made them feel more personal and ultimately showcased the three front men and their unique talents.
LUCY ORSI / OREDIGGER

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The band was engaging and energizing and even the most cynical of audience members were probably tapping their feet to the beat.

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Mines professor devotes time to culture

Trevor Crane Content Manager
Here at Mines, nearly everyone is an engineer. Professors are engineers, our athletes are engineers, and even that cat that sits outside the CTLM is most likely an engineer. So it should come as no surprise that Spanish I professor Francisco Padilla, who was born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, even has some roots in the engineering field. Padillas family originated in the tumultuous area of Juarez, Mexico, but later relocated to El Paso, Texas where a young Padilla finished his high school education. It was during these years that he began to develop a love for electrical engineering and began tinkering with the familys electronic devices. But that was before new technology, Padilla recalled with a laugh. I liked to take apart and work on radios and TVs, but that was back when the old TVs had bulbs. It was much easier to work on. The interest was sparked in Padilla, and after earning his high school diploma in El Paso, he then decided to pursue a higher education. Along with one of his high school friends, the future Spanish teacher continued his northern trek and enrolled in the University of Colorado in Boulder. Padilla believed that this new school would be the place that he would hone his mathematics and engineering skills, but, little did he know, that he would soon leave engineering in the rearview mirror. Just after he arrived, he found a niche in the Spanish department and offered to tutor the Spanish students. It did not take him long to discover his hidden talent of teaching, as students were soon thanking Padilla and complimenting him on his ability to explain the material. They would often tell Padilla that he was much more effective and easier to understand than their current professor. But the students were not the only ones to enjoy Padillas work. Padilla himself began to enjoy studying and teaching his native language. He soon decided to forgo his engineering future and change his undergraduate major to Spanish. Similarly to English majors, Padilla began to immerse himself in the Spanish language, studying the literary works of authors such as Carlos Fuentes, Martn Luis Guzmn, and Octavio Paz. Padillas teaching career officially began in his junior year at the University of Colorado. He had already developed a reputation for his teaching ability and was asked to teach a Spanish class in just his third year of college. Soon after, in 1973, Padilla began to teach in and around the Denver Metro area at Metro State College, Red Rocks Community College, and the Community College of Denver. As a teenager in El Paso, Padilla sacrificed his time working with juvenile delinquents. He began to see the effect that drugs and alcohol were having on young lives. I saw a lot of problems. I saw that they brought a lot of problems to themselves and their families, he said. When Padilla moved to Colorado, he still helped the less fortunate. While I was teaching at Metro and CCD, I knew of people in the community who wanted to learn the language but could not afford to pay the tuition. So, I opened up a private school for members of the community that couldnt afford the tuition of a university. Padillas school has flourished since then, and now offers 11 different levels of Spanish as well as many other languages for those with English as their second language. We can offer almost every language, as long as there is a demand for it, he said. For the past 18 years, Padilla has been a fixture in the Liberal Arts and International Studies department at Mines, offering courses in both Spanish I and Spanish II. He knows that he faces a challenge teaching Spanish at such an engineering-based school, but still says that the main difference in teaching Mines students is the average age of the students. Students are a lot younger here. At Red Rocks, the students are between 25 and, well, 70. The environment is a little bit different, but really, students are students, no matter the age they are. I just try to make students feel as comfortable as I can. In his nearly 40 years of teaching, Padilla has worked to perfect his curriculum. I have changed things through the years, he said. I remember learning English, the problems that I had. In my books, I try to make them the best that I can and help the students with some of those problems. Padilla may live in Colorado now, but there is no doubt that he still relishes his Spanish heritage. Between reading the works of Fuentes, Guzmn, and Paz, Padilla enjoys immersing himself in the archeology, anthropology and history of Spanish-speaking people. Every two years, Padilla takes a group of students from his school down to Peru to experience South American culture at places such as Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and Colca Canyon. It is this love of the Spanish cul-

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april 23, 2012

ture that rubs off on his students, and makes Padilla an effective teacher. But no matter how effective he is, there are bound to be some mistakes. Padilla is aware of this, but urges his students that if they are embarrassed, not to use the phrase, Estoy embarazado.
COURTESY FRANCISCO PADILLA

Stella cant compete Take me out to the ball game with other microbrews
Deborah Good Managing Editor Stephen Hejducek Content Manager
Stella Artois, steadily growing in popularity since 2011, delivers a non-unique flavor for a heavily advertised beer. When opening a bottle of Stella Artois, the paper wrapping that ensures safety and elegance creates anticipation for the first taste. At the first smell, a dry aroma wafts from the freshly opened bottle allowing many bubbles to escape and reach the top. The dry aroma transforms into a dry flavor that creates a mouth-watering sensation upon tasting the beer. This flavor reveals a bitterness that introduces itself at the tip of the tongue and resonates throughout the rest of the mouth. Afterwards, the flavor stops and a tepid flavor remains. After drinking a few sips of the beer, a subtle off smell arises. While difficult to describe, it relates to the smell of beer that has been chilled and then left to set at room temperature. This effect is known as skunking. The amount of carbonation in the beer makes it rather easy to drink, but the flavor lacks in complexity and can easily be compared to Budweiser or Coors. In fact, Coors may even exceed Stella Artois. While Stella Artois is a large beer company, the amount of pride in their product is overstated compared to how good the beer actually is. The issue with this beer lies not with the flavor, but with the advertising. Brewed in Leuven, Belgium, Stella Artois boasts about the creation of their gold-rimmed glass chalice. They claim that Stella Artois is best served chilled in one of these special chalices because it enhances the flavor of the beer. This, however, is not the case. Stella Artois falls into a list of beer companies that try and try again to sell their beer based on some kind of gimmick. A common example of this is the spiral-necked-vortex beer bottle produced by MillerCoors. Stella Artois spends too much time on the appearance of their beer, rather than the flavor. They sponsor many events like independent movie releases and even appear in Super Bowl commercials, but in the end, Stella Artois is only a pretty, more expensive, and less tasty Coors Banquet. This beer does not hold up the standard that other Belgian beers like Hoegaarden strive towards. The next time Stella is served at a party, go ahead and grab one, but definitely do not pass up a good microbrew in place of this beer. course and multi-deck seating all the way around. Notable interior features are the pine trees and fountain The weather is warm, the sun is in center field near the bullpen, and shining, and the semester is wind- the row of purple seats located in the ing down. COURTESY ENKRATES / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS upper deck at an elevation of This com5280 feet. bined can There are mean only two ways to one thing see Coors baseball seaField, either son is upon of which are us. Although quite worthnot everywhile. Most one is a fan o b v i o u s l y, of Americas travelers can national pasattend a Colotime, attendrado Rockies ing a game game. The can be a fun, team is prorelaxing, and foundly mediquick expeocre thus far in dition. This 2012, but few is especially things beat an true in Denactual game ver, where day experiresidents are ence. In fact, lucky enough Take a day trip to any of these those with to have a very destinations for baseball-lovers. novice basenice, relatively ball knowledge or who find baseball new ballpark at their disposal. Coors Field was opened in 1995 dry on television should consider atand is located in downtown Den- tending as there is no better way to ver, specifically at the corner of 20th learn and appreciate the game. The other way to experience Coand Blake in the Lo-Do area. The exterior is constructed of red-brick ors Field is slightly more obscure, but in an architectural style consistent even more informative. Tours of the with the neighborhoods industrial, stadium are offered Monday through warehouse beginnings. Like all ma- Saturday on days when the team is jor league stadiums, it has several out of town or playing an evening entrance gates, but the most im- game. These are relatively inexpenpressive is certainly the main gate at sive and allow access to areas of 20th and Blake. Inside, the stadium the park otherwise unseen by fans. is characteristic of the era in which Highlights include the press box, the it was built, with a wide main con- luxury suites, the dugouts, the edge

Every two years, Padilla takes a group of students from his school down to Peru to experience South American culture at places such as Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and Colca Canyon.

of the field itself, and sometimes, depending on whether the Rockies are home, the visiting clubhouse. Tours are about 80 minutes and cover a distance of about one mile. While making a baseball expedition, travelers should also check out the nearby Bs Ballpark Museum. Although the collection is distinctly aimed at studious baseball fans, it also offers an opportunity to learn a bit about the history of baseball in Denver and at large. The museum collection features a plethora of artifacts, loosely organized by ballpark. Some highlights include light fixtures from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, the actual drain cover Mickey Mantle tripped on in an injury that severely impacted his career, and seats from Tiger Stadium, Crosley Field, and the Polo Grounds. The museum also has a notable collection on the Denver Bears minor league teams. Although small, the collections are extremely interesting and well worth a look. Colorado Rockies TicketsPrice: $4-85 per person Coors Field Tour TicketsTimesMonday-Saturday Non-game days: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm Evening game days: 10 am, 12 pm Afternoon game days: none Price: $7.00 Bs Ballpark Museum 1940 Blake Street Denver, CO 80202 Times: Saturday 12 pm - 6pm or by appointment Price: $5.00

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april 23, 2012

Geek Week
of the
Yes, [because I like] video games, comics, video games, video games, video games, video games. I actually enjoy my major; I love everything about it. You show me a picture of a mountain and Ill be finding everything wrong with the mountain geologically. Its actually really entertaining for me. What are some of your proudest accomplishments? [I] got into Mines, I found a major I really like, I quieted my video game OCD by getting every single achievement on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and I have pissed off people in every European country. How do you spend your spare time? Eve Online, video games, Netflix, screwing around, watching movies. What do you like most about Mines? Hanging out with my friends here because were all just freakin nerds. What do you like least about Mines? Chemistry and Calculus. If you could be dropped into any fictional universe, what would it be and why? Warhammer 40,000 because it is awesome. I would be a space marine and all would tremble before me! I love everything about it and [being in that universe] would make the game become real. Whats your favorite animal? Wolves. I get along with them, Ive seen them in the wild, Ive been able to walk up and pet them. Its the one I see myself being if I were an animal. Theyre just freakin tough. Whats the best nerd moment youve witnessed or been a part of recently? [An] all-night comic movie watching marathon [where we watched] Hulk vs. Wolverine, Hulk vs. Thor, and Batman: The Animated Series. Would you rather be given a functional spacecraft of your choice or hands that can generate firebolts? Spacecraft of my choice because theres not much someone could do to me if I went into space and just started shooting things. Do you have any plans for your post-Mines future? Work and make lots of money so I can keep playing video games. Do you have any advice for fellow geeks and Mines students? Go to class. If youre from Texas, beware of Colorado. It will try to kill you. Do you have a favorite quote or saying? If the thought of something

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...Mike Burton, Sophomore, Geological Engineering

makes me giggle for more than fifteen seconds, I am to assume that I am not allowed to do it. Skippys List
JORDAN FRANCIS / OREDIGGER

Jordan Francis Columnist

Many people throughout history have tried to define the traits that separate ordinary men and women from geniuses and revolutionaries. One must have both intellect and great knowledge in ones area of interest. Despite these favorable qualities, however, a genius is never appreciated in its own time, often because the geeks who transcend into genius-dom are those who push the boundaries that others simply accept and work around. Many students at Mines recognize the necessity of pushing the limits around them and few understand this need more than sophomore and geological engineer, Mike Burton. [Oredigger]: Why did you choose Geological Engineering? [Burton]: I kinda got stuck in it on accident freshman year and I really liked it. I really enjoyed the class. I had Shorey and he made it a lot of fun. Whats been your favorite class? Probably Geological Principals and Properties. I had Humphrey for that and he has hilarious stories and [the class material] was stuff I really enjoy. It was actually fun for me. Are you a geek and why?

Sophomore Mike Burton offers advice to his fellow Mines students, Go to class. If youre from Texas, beware of Colorado. It will try to kill you.

Alara: Chapter 11
Nicole Johnson Staff Writer
Previous chapters can be found online at oredigger.net Well, I cant say Im surprised. I dont appreciate the tone. Telloc folded his arms and analyzed the scene. The torn sheets and shattered splinters of wood confirmed there was a struggle. Splashes of blood, from both Chloe and her attacker, littered the room. Telloc reached under the flipped cot and retrieved the small knife the attacker used. He smiled when he realized it had more of the attackers blood on it than Chloes. She was a survivor. I just thought it would have happened sooner. Marna examined a piece of cloth that had snagged on the door frame. Is anyone missing? Telloc asked one of the other workers. Not that I know of, sir, but Ill ask around. When the other technician was done, Telloc took one last look before shutting and locking the door behind him. All through the morning, everyone was at a loss. The laughter that normally filled the dining hall was replaced by quiet whispers. Some were glad they werent sharing a roof with a parasite anymore. Others, like Haren, were sad because repairs still needed doing on just about everything. Garren seemed happy. Telloc and Marna buried themselves in work to avoid the increasingly annoying feeling deep in their stomachs. Later that night Telloc was tending to a broken arm when Marna barged through the infirmary. I swear Im going to kill him. Telloc sighed under his breath and finished his stitching, well aware that Marna was behind him tapping her foot repeatedly against the stone floor. There you go Mrs. Bara. Should be all good to go. Telloc, we have a confirmation. Marna waited for Telloc to lead her to his office. Once there, she looked around to make sure no one was watching them. Finally she leaned forward and whispered. It was Garren. Youre sure? Where is he now? Telloc definitely remembered seeing him a few hours ago. Disappeared. Must have taken off earlier. I have no idea how to tell the rest of them. Telloc ran a hand through his hair. Like ripping off a bandage. Do we have any idea where Garren was planning on taking her? Marna pulled an envelope out of her back pocket. It was hard to rinse out the blood stains but we think we recovered most of the original message. Telloc scanned the three lines over and over, refusing to believe they were true. Fools. You truly thought you actually had a chance against us. Her head will rot on a spike for eternity next to Alaras when we are through with them. Then we will come for you and the rest of this planets filth. Marna struggled to keep her skin from going pale. How much time do you think we have? Telloc jumped and pressed the bright red button near the office door. Loud sirens wailed and bright crimson light flashed through the whole compound. In the dining room, the whole colony rushed about to pack up everything for the move. Marna and Telloc stayed in his office. Marna crossed her arms. What about the plan? Telloc clenched his hands into fists. It will continue. Therell just be an extra rescue mission. Are your people ready? Marna smiled. You bet they are. Good. Because tomorrow night either they die or we will. Authors Note: Hello readers. Because the Oredigger only has one more issue, and Alara is nowhere near ready to finish, I have decided that Alara will take a hiatus over the summer. But do not fear, the story will finish in the fall. I just want to say thank you to all my readers for their amazing support and hope you continue reading in the fall.

Bake up a perfect dessert combination

Recipe is courtesy of bettycrocker.com and makes two dozen cupcakes. Ingredients: -1 box yellow cake mix -1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium) - cup water -1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened -3 eggs - cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips -1 container chocolate frosting Directions: Preheat the oven and place cupcake liners in standard-sized muffin pan. In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, bananas, water, butter and eggs with an electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips and spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 18-24 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!

Katie Huckfeldt Editor-in-Chief

Bananas and chocolate are an award-winning combination from breakfast to dessert. This cupcake recipe is reminiscent of freshly baked banana bread with a sweet and chocolatey twist. If you are looking for a tasty treat to brighten up a finals study session or simply crave a delicious dessert, this recipe is a quick fix.

KATIE HUCKFELDT / OREDIGGER

Try this delicious combination banana-chocolate dessert!

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Track competes Mens Golf advances to in California and SuperRegional tournament Colorado meets Golf takes first RMAC championship since 1968
Trevor Crane Content Manager
The Mines mens and womens Track and Field teams sent participants to three different invitationals in Colorado and California last week as Oredigger athletes turned in arguably the most successful and impressive week in recent history. In Walnut, California, in one of the most competitive and prestigious meets in the country, the distance runners highlighted the meet for the Orediggers as they competed against the very best collegiate athletes in the nation. Fifth year senior Mack McLain ran the fastest time in Division II as he finished tenth overall in the mens 1500m in 3:46.57. McLain now holds a slim, one second advantage over RMAC rivals Matt Daniels and David Sanchez from Adams State College. Close behind McLain in the 1500, junior Russell Drummond also set a provisional mark, running his best time of the year, finishing in 3:49.70 for the fourth best time in the RMAC and ninth best in all of Division II this year. Also at the meet, Sean Gildea turned in a strong performance, recording the eighth fastest DII time in the 10,000m (29:37.40) and recording a provisional mark in the 5,000m (14:17.48) Teammate Phil Schneider followed suit in his heat of the 5,000m, finishing second in the heat, and earning a provisional mark with a time of 29:53.97. And the Lady Orediggers continued with the impressive California performance, as both Hannah Schuster and Marie Patton had provisional times in their events. Schuster finished the 1500m in an incredible 4:34.06, earning the provisional mark and recording the second best 1500m time in the RMAC this year, less than half a second behind leader Kristen McGlynn of Adams State. For Patton, her time of 10:57.83 was good enough to earn the senior a provisional mark in the womens 3,000m steeplechase. After racing at Mt. SAC Friday, many of the Oredigger distance runners turned right around and competed at the Bryan Clay Azusa Pacific Invitational in Azusa, California just outside of Los Angeles. But if the Orediggers were worn out from their California road trip, it didnt show in Azusa. Two Orediggers turned in first place finishes and two earned provisional marks. A day after finishing fourth in the 1500m, Drummond won the 800m in 1:51.44, giving him the fourth fastest time in the RMAC and eighth overall in the nation. In the mens 3,000m steeplechase, Neal Anderson provisioned with a time of 9:08.44. Closing out the California trip, Andrew Epperson placed first in the 5,000m in 14:36.63. The performances in California were plenty to call the weekend a success, but the field event competitors felt they had something to prove as well, as they highlighted the weekend at the Western State Invite in Gunnison, Colorado. Fifteen different athletes placed in the top five in their events, including Briana Suppes who set a provisional mark and a new school record in the womens pole vault as she cleared 12-00.00 on her second attempt, giving her the highest mark in the RMAC. Cody Walega put up the highest collegiate mark in the mens pole vault, finishing in second after he cleared 13-05.25. Walega currently sits in fourth overall in the RMAC in the pole vault. In the throwing events, Mines dominated the hammer competition as Ryan Ewen set a season best mark, throwing for 167-06, earning second overall and moving into sixth place in the RMAC. Teammate Chris McFee came in third with a toss of 166-09 while freshman Austin Roup came in fifth with a throw of 156-10. McFee currently sits fourth in the RMAC and Roup moved into ninth. In the running events at Gunnison, Garrett Hoch came in second in the 400m in (49.54) while Ryan Marshall came in sixth in 50.84.

s p o r t s

april 23, 2012

Trevor Crane Content Manager

Mines mens golf team advances to SuperRegional after winning their first RMAC championship since 1968. The golf team dominated the competition last week, as Jim Knous and Cory Bacon finished first and second respectively and the Orediggers won the RMAC Conference Tournament in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Mines ended a 44 year drought, earning their first conference championship since the 1968 season. The Orediggers won three conference tournaments during the 1960s, but have not been able to match that success until last week when they shot 15 strokes better than second place Western New Mexico. After rounds one and two, Mines was cruising with each of the schools five participants finishing in the top fifteen. Bacon led all individuals after scoring a tournament-best 69 on the first round followed by a 75 on the second round. Heading into round three, he held a one stroke lead over teammate Knous, who finished the second round with a 71. Each of the five Oredigger participants struggled during the third round, as each scored their lowest total during the final 18. Knous turned in Mines best third round finish with a 75, two

strokes better than Bacons 77, Mines is now primed for a naand just low enough to push him tional championship run. Head into first place for his first RMAC coach Tyler Kimble has quickly individual title. turned the Orediggers into a seFor Knous, the individual title rious contender in just his fifth is his fourth of the season, and season as head coach. In addicaps off a solid RMAC career. tion to leading Mines to their first With the individual title, Knous conference championship since was also named the RMAC Mens 1968, Kimble was also named Golfer of the Year and named to the 2011-2012 RMAC Coach of the First Team All-RMAC. the Year. Knous has now been named As a team, the Orediggers First Team All-RMAC in each of have now won three consecutive his four seasons as an Oredig- tournaments and six overall this ger. The first place finish was also season. With the team title, Mines Knous fourth now advances top finish For Knous, the individual to the NCAA this year. He West/Central title is his fourth of the SuperRegionhad three in the last three al Tournament season, and caps off a years comat the same bined. course from F o l l o w i n g solid RMAC career. With May 7-9. The behind Knous the individual title, Knous West/Central and Bacon, SuperRegionCU transfer was also named the RMAC al is one of Kyle Grassel four SuperRealso cracked Mens Golfer of the Year gionals in the the top ten, country. The finishing tenth top five team and named to the First with a three finishers at Team All-RMAC. round score each Superof 228 (72-72Regional Tour82). Michael nament will Lee finished in 20th (80-75-79- then advance to the 50th annual 234) and Jordan Arndt placed National Championship Tourna25th (79-76-80-235) to round out ment in Louisville Kentucky, May the scoring. For their performanc- 15-19. Mines is currently the top es, Lee was named Second Team ranked team in the West/Central All-RMAC while Bacon and Gras- Region and looks to advance to sel were both named Third Team Louisville after finishing 13th at All-RMAC. the SuperRegional in 2011.

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*This offer expires on June 30, 2012. *APR means Annual Percentage Rate. New and used vehicle loan rates start as low as 2.74% APR. $17.86 monthly per thousand borrowed on 2.74% APR, 60-month loan. APR may range from as low as 2.74% to 20.00% based your creditworthiness, term and collateral and is subject to our normal credit qualifications. Your APR may be higher. This APR is subject to change without notice. Up to 100% financing based on credit qualification. Interest will accrue during the entire term of the loan including the non-payment period.

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Locations throughout Colorado including Golden: 1800 Jackson Street

Students participate in a real-life game of battleship in the CSM Natatorium.

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This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.

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april 23, 2012

Softball sets HR record in final week of regular season, moves to top of RMAC
Trevor Crane Content Manager
The RMAC-Leading Oredigger Softball team made history last week as Mines exploded for a program-record six home runs in a 11-5 win over UCCS Wednesday in Colorado Springs, CO. The game was tight throughout the early innings as the two teams traded punches early and often. Oredigger junior Molly Thiebaut opened the home run derby with a solo shot over the left field wall to give Mines an early 1-0 lead. After UCCS regained the lead, Sarah Lustgraaf continued the hitting show in the fourth inning, In the fifth inning, Lustgraaf launching a solo shot of her own. connected on her second homeThree batters run of the later, Paige this Heading into Wednes- game, Coufal followed time a two days game, Lustgraaf suit with a two run blast that run homerun the had collected a total of pushed 7-4. to right field, score to as Mines reThe folonly seven home runs. claimed the lowing inning, She increased that total Mines lead at 5-4. got And that home runs five by nearly 50% after the and six of the was as close as the game record setting three home game as Kawould get, as mee Vessey run performance. Mines outgot into the scored the action this Mountain Lions 6-1 the rest of time, with a solo shot with one out the way. in the inning. Lustgraaf capped off the historic day, notching her third homerun of the game and the teams sixth. UCCS added one more run in the bottom of the seventh, but it was not enough as Mines overwhelmed the Mountain Lions 115. Heading into Wednesdays game, Lustgraaf had collected a total of only seven home runs. She increased that total by nearly 50% after the record setting three home run performance. She now sits 12th in the RMAC in total home runs. Lustgraafs teammate, Vessey collected one home run on Wednesday and another one

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Saturday, pushing her season total of homeruns to 15. She currently sits at second overall in the RMAC with that total. After splitting the two game series with UCCS on Wednesday and splitting the first two games of their four game series with Colorado Mesa, Mines was in first place in the RMAC standings heading into their final two games of the regular season Sunday. In an incredibly heated RMAC race, in which only two losses separate first place from eighth place after 50 games played, Mines looks to make a strong playoff push in the RMAC tournament.

The Football Informant Club Sport of the Week:

Manning or bust Ultimate frisbee
Sydney Liming Club Sports
Combining the non-stop movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football, the game of Ultimate Frisbee is played by two seven-player squads. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponents end zone. A player must stop running while in possession of the Frisbee, but may pivot and pass to any of the other players on the team. Ultimate Frisbee is played in more than 42 countries by hundreds of thousands of people. Ultimate is played between two teams of seven players on a large rectangular pitch. There are two end zones where a goal can be scored when a team completes a pass to a player. Players cannot run with the disc. When a player catches a disc, they must come to a stop and throw it to another player. Stalling occurs when the player holds onto the Frisbee for more than 10 seconds after catching it. When this happens, the defense takes over possession. By passing from player to player, the offense attempts to work the Frisbee up the pitch towards the end zone. If the Frisbee hits the floor or is intercepted or knocked down by the other team, then the opposition takes possession. Possession also changes if

James Kergosian Columnist

Everything is about to change. In an abrupt series of sweeping moves, John Elway and Peyton Manning have conspired to give a complete facelift to the Denver Broncos organization. The old script, featuring a young team on the rise with an unlikely messiah and a dazzling future ahead, has been thrown out entirely. Tim Tebow is old news, as the most bafflingly successful player in the NFL has been replaced by the very image of stoic consistency. On the face of it, it seems to be a no-brainer a four-time MVP and surefire Hall of Fame inductee instead of a young gun with little more than luck and tenacity on his side. And maybe it will all work out for the best in the end. I am certainly not audacious enough to second-guess John Elways opinions about quarterbacking potential. However, I am uneasy about the far-reaching implications of this change. This is now a completely different Broncos team, and it remains to be seen what the identity of these New Broncos will be. The consensus opinion seems to be that the Manning acquisition was heartless and borderline cruel to Tebow, but that it was an excellent move in terms of winning football games. After some consideration, I am not certain even that the team will benefit as much as advertised. Elway signed Manning with one particular thing in mind, a large silver trophy in the form of a football on a pedestal. Realistically, the Broncos are gunning for a short-term, perhaps fouryear window of opportunity in which Manning could lead them to a championship. I hesitate to assume that the Manning experiment will be a failure if it brings home no hardware, but that is essentially where the stakes are set. The old Broncos were built to win over the long term; the new Broncos, with only one roster change, have a mandate to win big, and right now. Is this team equipped for it? Obviously, Elway will go after a few marquee free agents,

preferably to bolster the receiving corps. Manning has proven that he can make an average team excel, but the case can be made that the pre-Tebow Broncos were well short of average. With Manning, this team can own the AFC West, but can it win Super Bowls? I am not convinced. I have previously written extensively about Tebow, and to a lesser extent, Manning. Tebow made the Broncos better mainly through intangibles. He was the undisputed team leader, a morale-booster with the ability to draw the best from his comrades. Perhaps this was unsustainable, and it certainly drew from the near-miraculous string of comeback victories; however, Tebow revived the Broncos criminallyunderachieving defense and inspired it to overachieve instead. It was this defensive renaissance that led to a playoff run, and it only happened because of Tebow. Manning improves the play of those around him by an even greater extent, but it is not necessarily because of his motivational skills. Instead, Manning operates a machine-like offense whose output is far greater than the sum of its parts. With this type of offense and a get-by defense, the Colts made the playoffs for ten consecutive years and set an NFL record for most wins over a decade. However, the machine showed its flaws in the pressure cooker of the postseason, where teams played with an extra intensity on both sides of the ball that the Colts simply could not match. Their lone Super Bowl title came after a multi-year run of postseason humiliation at the hands of the Patriots, when the Colts were able to muster the outright rage required to finally beat New England, and then gained a fortunate Super Bowl draw against the Rex Grossman-led Bears, champs of a weak NFC. Manning plays the quarterback position with almost robotic efficiency, and that has made him one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He makes few mistakes, never loses confidence, and is capable of putting up awe-inspiring num-

bers with a minimum of support against the best defenses in the game. However, in situations that require emotion, anger, and leadership, he has fallen short time and again. Success in the playoffs requires grit, innovation, controlled fury, and a bit of luck, a formula that the Eli Manning Giants have perfected. In some ways, the two Manning Teams are polar opposites of each other. Peyton is the safer bet, but given an ultimatum to win a Super Bowl as soon as possible, I think that almost anyone who follows the NFL today would select Eli as the better choice. As for Tebow, this was the year where he would finally be able to take a major leap forward. Entrenched as the starter, Tebow would make the most out of training camp, and John Fox would be able to devise an offensive system to use his talents to their fullest. Instead he was shipped off cross-country to the team that is one of the single worst cultural fits for him. The New York Jets are a group of drama queens seemingly incapable of uniting for the common good, and they are led by Rex Ryan, a man who is far better at creating publicity stunts than championships. With any other team, I would have applauded this type of move for Tebow the chance to play in a dual-quarterback system where he only needs to do what he does best. In the circus known as Gang Green, however, Tebow is just one more attention-grabber, a bizarre sideshow designed to get attention. Can he thrive in such a situation? I will not rule out the possibility, as Tebow is inarguably resilient, but my gut reaction is that this is a major step backward in his quest to become a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. Perhaps I will be proven wrong, perhaps John Elway shockingly knows more about running a football team than I do. Maybe Tebow will thrive in the Meadowlands just as he did at Mile High. I certainly hope so. As it is, this looks suspiciously like a panic buy. John Elway, you had better know what you are doing with this.

a receiver is outside the playing area when they catch it. After a team has scored a point, they keep hold of the Frisbee and wait while the opposition walks back to the other end of the pitch. The team that scored then throws off to start the next point. This way, the teams change ends after every point. Ultimate is essentially noncontact; any contact between players can be declared a foul. Ultimate is unique in that it is refereed by the players themselves, even at the World Championship level, according to a code of conduct known as The Spirit of the Game. This places the responsibility for fair play on the players themselves, and their system of self-referring works beautifully. The Mens Ultimate team here at Mines has about 20 members that compete in two-day weekend tournaments which consist of roughly 5-7 games. The team competes in and around Colorado, along with a tournament in Las Vegas once a year. The team is done with tournaments for the semester, but will still be practicing Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 P.M. on the North IM Fields. Anyone looking to join the team can either show up to practice or email club-ultimatem@mines.edu. The team is currently only a mens team, however the team tries to do at least one co-ed tournament a year.
COURTESY CLUB SPORTS

The ultimate frisbee team competes around Colorado and in a yearly Las Vegas tournament.

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o p i n i o n

april 23, 2012

Mindscircus Mines at Joining the

Ian Mertz Copy Editor
As the semester draws to a close and sunshine and warm weather make staying inside during class increasingly difficult, the thought of leaving the Colorado School of Mines becomes increasingly attractive. The anywhere but here mentality is being felt all over campus. This prompted Minds at Mines to ask a rather unusual question this week, What would you do if you joined the circus and why?

Jarrod Sparks Staff Writer

Grinds my gears
up and knocks him out by only staring at him behind his beard, dont be surprised because he asked for it. You were wearing the garb of a warrior, when you were only a wannabe. Guys trying to look macho arent the only violators of trend following though. Ladies are just as guilty. Im not sure which unstable, drug-addicted celebrity decided that Uggs and sweatpants were fashionable, but shes wrong. As a result, people think that it is now socially acceptable to be an under-achiever and wear pajamas outside the house. Its not just teenage, Hannah Montana addicted, girls either. Tom Brady, the pretty boy quarterback of the Patriots, is an Uggs model. Evidently he receives his fashion influence from impressionable teenage television shows rather than his fashion model baby-momma, Gisele. There are also people just hopping on vegetarian trends because they saw some documentary about how chickens like to roam the prairies. If youre a vegan because you have some abstention from meat for religious beliefs, animal advocacy, or cholesterol, more power to you. But if youre a vegan because everybody else in your Hemp Helps Boulder club is one, start thinking for yourself. Social trends are influencing everything from the sale of fake mustaches to national elections. It is only when people start thinking for themselves that they can truly have a voice outside of what they are simply told. Speak up America. It is only through you that we can end the progress of horrible trends like Rebecca Black, skinny jeans, and tiny dogs. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what grinds my gears.

I would be a tightrope walker because I have had a lot of practice balancing on curbs. Kirsten Olson

You know what really grinds my gears? Trend followers. There has been a history of certain trends that start off with everybody having to buy them and then they end up almost exclusively in backwoods trailer parks. I would like to cite the whole Ed Hardy and Affliction shirt craze. At first, everybody from Kanye West to Sylvester Stallone was rocking jeans with some ornate skull biting a rose in its teeth, and now the only people sporting the overpriced style are five-year-old rappers and Louisiana swamp royalty. Also, these people are coming off as instigators when theyre only trend followers. When a jersey boy shows up to the club wearing a Tapout shirt and Kimbo Slice comes

Study Break
I would be a clown because I love clowns. Theyre awesome and they bring joy to the world. Mallory Wick I would be a trapeze artist because it would be cool to see a guy as big as me doing flips in the air. Fletcher Hunt

COURTESY ANAX, WWW.UKPUZZLE.COM

I would fight lions. I am sure I could keep them away. They couldnt touch me. Diamond Gillis

Across 1 Influential radio presenter who died October 2004 (4,4) 8 Hound, blanket or coat (6) 9 Japanese female escort (6) 10 Stereogram image (5,3) 12 Stylish (4) 13 Radio 4 programme hosted by 1 across (4,6) 16 Sudden downpour (10) 17 Skew-whiff (4) 18 Reverse somersault (8) 21 Glacial period (3,3) 22 Outcome (6) 23 Unfulfilled desire (8) Down 2 Recondition (8) 3 It didnt happen, unfortunately (2,4,4) 4 Popular Dutch cheese (4) 5 Vocalised mirth (8) 6 Playing card case (4) 7 If not (6) 11 Anthropod, usually aquatic (10) 14 Power to move (8) 15 Element, atomic number 1 (8)

16 Part human, part machine (6)

19 Bludgeon (4) 20 Linear unit in printing (4)

I would be a mild-mannered, rather quiet and British panda tamer, because pandas are wild animals that must be tamed and observed quietly while wearing a pith helmet. Dan Allen

ALL PHOTOS IAN MERTZ / OREDIGGER Editorials Policy The Oredigger is a designated public forum. Editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval and may edit submitted pieces for length so long as the original meaning of the piece is unchanged. Opinions contained within the Opinion Section do not necessarily reflect those of Colorado School of Mines or The Oredigger. The Oredigger does not accept submissions without identification and will consider all requests for anonymity in publication on a case-by-case basis. Submissions less than 300 words will receive preference.

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