Page 9
Mines secures
Mines commemorates Veterans Day
Army and Air Force ROTC students stand at attention for the presentation of the flag.
People are cheap now; cheap and disposable
Nick Matthews
Staff Writer
“Organized crime is starting to get
really involved. And the scariest thing
about it, is that it’s starting to get
organized.” These improvements,
however, are no improvement for the
public good. Crimes are becoming
more violent, more profitable, and
harder to stop.
The most recent Hennebach Lec-
ture Series could have, and should
have, made many people uncom-
fortable. Prof. Claude d’Estree--
Buddhist Priest and Monk, lecturer at
Josef Korbel School of International
Studies at DU, and director of the
Human Trafficking Clinic took this
lecture opportunity to not only iden-
tify the problem, but to call others to
action as well.
The problem d’Estree addressed
is human trafficking and slavery; two
things that most people do not real-
ize are issues. Both, however, are
still alive and ‘well’ in the world and
even our own country. “Guess what’s
back, people,” asked d’Estree, “slav-
ery and piracy, and these pirates are
nothing like Captain Jack Sparrow.”
The definition of human traffick-
ing, according to d’Estree, leaves
nothing in question: “Human Traf-
ficking is the recruitment and/or
movement of someone within or
across borders, through the abuse of
power/position with the intention of
forced labor exploitation, commercial
or otherwise.” The question is, after
defining trafficking in this way, do you
still think that it’s not that common,
even in the U.S.? Most Americans
News - 2
~world headlines
~scientific discoveries
Volume 91, Issue 10
may not work in sweatshops, but
how many people work from day to
day just to survive?
Sadly, the majority of those who
end up being trafficked, do so will-
ingly on some level. All over the
world, situations are dire, and there
are no shortages of those looking
to improve their lives. But when
resources are limited, the elaborate
tales told by the traffickers start to
sound like that silver lining in lives
of clouds. “I don’t care what you’ve
heard;” explains d’Estree, “parents
do not simply sell their children to
traffickers.” But, when the lies have
been told, parents often make a
choice to let their children go and
hope for that tiny chance that it
will really lead to a better life. What
makes the story even sadder, is that
the living conditions in some parts
of the world are such that, “If they
had the choice between dying and
knowingly selling themselves into
slavery, they would sell themselves
into slavery.” For all intents and
purposes, the traffickers often don’t
even need to lie.
“The ancient slave states were
Greece and Rome. The two modern
slave states are the United States
and Brazil.”
Once in debt to the traffickers is
when the terrible circle of circum-
stances truly begins. The traffickers
keep their “debtors” under tight
control. They seize their documents,
and they force them to work to pay
off what they owe. But the “jobs”
that the traffickers provide do noth-
ing to make a dent in the interest,
let alone the real “debt”. Crop har-
Features - 4-6
~Geek of the Week
~Colorado History
co-chamion-
ship in RMAC
November 15, 2010
CHRIS ENGER / OREDIGGER CHRIS ENGER / OREDIGGER
Many faculty, staff, and students fought through the cold
and snow to be present at the flag ceremony the morning
of Veterans Day.
vesting, the commercial sex trade, doesn’t mean solving the problem Kevin Bales
sweatshops and other inhumane shouldn’t start now. 2. “Slavery by Another Name”
jobs can all be done for virtually If you’re interested in learning -- [book] Douglas Blackmon
nothing by these 21st century slaves. more and finding out what you can 3. “Traces of the Trade” -- [book]
“Why can’t people get out of do to combat the problem of human Thomas DeWolf
these situations?” This is the most trafficking and modern day slavery, 4. Human Trafficking Clinick:
common response to this predica- check out these resources: http://www.du.edu/humantraffick-
ment, but the stark reality is that if 1. “Disposable People” -- [book] ingclinic/
NICK MATTHEWS / OREDIGGER
you manage to escape,
you have no papers. The
traffickers convince you
the police are corrupt.
They know where you live.
They know where you used
to live. And, they know
your family. At least in
previous generations of
sweatshops, “you got to
go home at the end of the
day. With the new sweat-
shops, you work on the
17th floor; you live on the
18th.” There’s no longer
any separation nor any op-
portunity for escape.
“Twenty-seven thou-
sand people die every day
of malnutrition,” and many
of these are forced situa-
tions. And now, aware of
the problems, you can no
longer ignore them. Every
day, men, women, and
children become ensnared
in a vicious trap that de-
stroys their lives, either by
choice or by trick. This
is just a brief overview
story of modern day slav-
ery and human trafficking
and d’Estree says it will
get much worse before it
gets better. However, that Professor d’Estree discusses the current problem of human trafficking.
sports - 7-9 opinion - 9 satire - 11
~CSM diving team ~Minds at Mines ~It’s Okay
~CSM Men’s soccer ~Morals to your Story ~They are Gone Now
page 2 n e w s november 15, 2010

Joshua Kleitsch, Staff Writer

Corvallis, Oregon - Medusahead grass is beginning to be a major problem in the Western

United States. Researchers at the University of Oregon in Corvallis, Oregon, have been studying
how to stop the invasion of the medusahead grass, an invasive plant that has no natural enemies.
The grass out-competes other native grasses due to its needle-like leaf characteristics. Cattle and
deer won’t touch the grass because it’s leaves are sharp and inedible, and herbicides don’t kill
the plant entirely because of a thick layer of protective thatch shelters the seeds near the ground.

College Park, Maryland -

The origins of the plague bacteria Milan, Italy - Researchers at the University of Milan
that has caused the deaths of un- in Italy have possibly shown that Hawking Radiation, pre-
Houston, Texas - The Mars
told millions of people throughout dicted 36 years ago by Stephen Hawking, exists. Hawking
rover ”Spirit” may have finally
history has been narrowed down radiation theoretically occurs when a pair of virtual particles
died, after over seven months of
to central China. Researchers at comes into existence on the event horizon of a black hole.
radio silence. Team leader Ste-
the University of Maryland in Col- One of the particles flies into the black hole while the other
ven Squyres expected the rover
lege Park, Maryland, have been photon is ejected into space. By building up a potential
to begin transmitting messages
building a comprehensive “family barrier by skewing the properties of glass with ultra-high
a full two weeks ago, due to the
tree” of the plague bacteria and energy laser pulses, the scientists were able to replicate
spring sun recharging Spirit’s
have found that the oldest mem- what they thought was an event horizon. They then de-
dead batteries. Seeing as the
bers of the bacterial family are tected the photons emitted by the setup. In addition to ex-
rover has not responded as of
from China. With an estimated pected photons, a set was emitted that did not appear to
yet, Squyres expects that Spirit
age of 2,600 years, researchers have come directly from the laser pulse. This experimental
has finally breathed its last, after
expect that the plague bacteria setup could prove many years of theory.
an enormously successful 6-year
reached Europe via the Silk Road
mission. If the rover is dead, then
trade route, and other continents
NASA will save an estimated $10
by rats hitchhiking on merchant
million a year. The total operat-
ships.
ing cost of the mission came to
nearly $500 million.

Oredigger Staff Local News

Ryan Browne
Editor-in-Chief
Headlines from around the world
Katie Huckfeldt Joshua Kleitsch, Staff Writer
Managing Editor
Abdullah Ahmed
Business Manager Chinese automaker SAIC
seeks to purchase $500 mil-
Steven Wooldridge
Webmaster lion in General Motors Corp.
stock next week. The purchase
Barbara Anderson would equate to a roughly 1%
Design Editor stake in the company. The US
government is looking to reduce
Zach Boerner its stake in the company from
Copy Editor 61% to 35% at the IPO.
Comcast is expected to
Neelha Mudigonda
Asst. Design Editor announce its planned reor-
ganization of NBC Universal
Robert Gill slated for early next year. Com-
Asst. Business Manager, cast first announced its intention
Sales and Marketing to purchase NBC Universal from
General Electric Co. last Decem-
Ian Littman
Asst. Business Manager, ber, and pending approval after
a regulatory review, will begin it’s
Web Content
reorganization.
Trevor Crane Economists are saying the
Content Manager one reason employment levels
haven’t shown a significant in-
$19 billion over the course of 10
years.
The pain is not over for Hai-
tians, as they approach the one-
year anniversary of the devas-
tating earthquake that rocked
their country. Many of the aid
groups that were active for the
first few months after the trag-
edy have gone, leaving behind
a country that is, in many ways,
no better off than before. This
reveals major difficulties that the
Haitian people will have to over-
come in their own government.
Iran has agreed to resume
talks with the European Union
over its nuclear fuel program. The
EU’s foreign policy representa-
tive, Catherine Ashton, has
not yet decided where to hold the
talks, but the date has been set
for December 5.
Growth has slowed in Eu-
rope’s economy, dropping from
a high of 1% in the second quar-
ter of 2010 to 0.4% for the third
quarter. The growth shows that
Europe is on its way to recovery,
aided in part by Germany’s pow-
erful and resilient economy.
The Obama administration is
working on adding a new govern-
ment post that would police In-
ternet privacy. The job is not yet
fully solidified, and may change
significantly before anything is
done, but Internet privacy laws
are sure to change in the near
future.
The Colorado School of
Mines swimming & diving teams
hosted Adams State and Colo-
rado College in competition on
Saturday afternoon at the CSM
Natatorium. Mines defeated
both ASC (227 to 32) and CC
(195 to 73) winning 27 of the 32
events.
Mines’ annual International
Day was held Nov. 13 in Fried-
hoff Hall. The event showcased
the cooking and theatrical tal-
ents of the Mines international
community featuring food from
22 countries and regions, song,
dance and a cultural fashion
show.
The CSM football team has
qualified for the 2010 NCAA Di-
vision II playoffs. Mines will play
Grand Valley State on Saturday,
November 20th.

B E M B E M
Deborah Good crease is because wages are
Content Manager
too high. Robert Shimer, an
Stephen Hejducek economist at the University of
Chicago, says that were wages This past weekend was
Content Manager
to drop 3%-5% job growth Mines’ annual Parents Week-

A D Z A D Z
Shira Richman would show marked improve- end. Many events were held on
Faculty Advisor ment, stimulating new hires campus for the visiting families
and increased spending by of Mines students.
companies.

M C Q M C Q
Small business
owners are getting a
nod from Democrats The National Harlon Hill
Friday, as a top senator Award Committee announced
said he plans to repeal a that Colorado School of Mines’

P U Y P U Y
bill that was put in place Clay Garcia has been selected
to help pay for the new as one of 24 candidates for the
health care bill. Small 2010 Harlon Hill Trophy as the
business owners made NCAA Division II College Foot-
their voices heard re- ball Player of the Year.

B E M T N O
garding this bill, which
would have increased
paperwork and could
have cost them roughly

w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
november 15, 2010 n e w s page 3

Perspectives on clean energy and climate policy

Katy Beseda movement.” He also emphasized “Typically you had a lot of studies ALL PHOTOS KATY BESEDA / OREDIGGER

Staff Writer
It is widely agreed that the Unit-
ed States, one of the largest pro-
ducers of carbon dioxide, needs
to find a way to reduce carbon
emissions. But actually fitting it
into the government and economy
is a completely different story.
The Economics and Busi-
ness Department brought Robert
LaCount of Cambridge Energy
Research Associates (CERA) to
Mines last Thursday to talk about
this very thing.
As LaCount explained in his
lecture, “Perspectives on Clean
Energy and Climate Change Pol-
icy,” an important step in the jour-
ney to reducing emissions is the
shift to natural gas. New develop-
ments have recently given compa-
nies the means to tap into more
gas. “It’s in tight shale, where we
can go in now and unlock that
natural gas. And we always knew
it was there, we just didn’t have
the technology to unlock it eco-
nomically.” All the new places that
can produce natural gas now have
increased the supply and allowed
the price to go down.
This is great news from the en-
vironmental perspective because,
“with the lower carbon content of
natural gas as well as the higher ef-
ficiency of those technologies, gas
emits carbon dioxide emissions
at 40% of what a traditional coal
plant would emit.” LaCount sees
natural gas as “a not only reliable
but an affordable way to move
from some of the existing coal de-
pendence to natural gas and have
a lower carbon exchange for that
that gas is “not the end result. You
can’t get there and meet the tar-
get with natural gas.”
A well-educated, energy-con-
scious Mines student could tell
power companies about all the
alternative ways of producing en-
ergy. But this would not change
things. As LaCount puts it, “If I
want to move and make the in-
vestment, for instance, of nuclear
over gas, today the market is go-
ing to choose gas.” Firms wanting
to maximize their profits, the envi-
ronment does not matter. It is the
market that drives their decisions.
“How do you get a company
to move over to nuclear? It comes
back to carbon prices.” LaCount
shared his thoughts on the idea of
charging companies for their car-
bon emissions. In this case, coal
companies would have to pay for
all the carbon dioxide they are giv-
ing off. Hopefully, this will lead to
more coal plants shutting down
and “greener” alternatives coming
up.
This is a classic idea shared by
many economists looking for poli-
cies to reduce carbon emissions.
But there is a problem with imple-
menting this change. According to
Robert LaCount, “If you’re really
going to put a big dent in emis-
sions, the cost is considerable.”
Over the past two years, Con-
gress has considered plans to
begin a carbon dioxide price. The
goal is to charge companies and
change the market so that shut-
ting down a coal plant is actually
the best economic decision for a
firm. Unfortunately, the situation is
not that easy. LaCount explains,
showing prices that would be $12,
$25, maybe $30. Not the kind of
range that we’re talking about
here, that we think would be nec-
essary to make those coal plants
uneconomic.”
Controlling pollution in the
transportation industry has the
opposite problem as the power in-
dustry. Emissions that come from
transportation do not need much
more regulation, “In fact, the poli-
cies are already happening. We
have significant regulations go-
ing forward that are pushing new
technology dramatically.” So in-
stead of lacking strict policies to
force companies to use newly
available technology, car compa-
nies have high standards, just not
the means to produce up to them. Robert LaCount presents on residential electricity con-
“Many of these regulations or laws sumption.
that have been passed are requir-
ing technology and tools that do
not exist today.”
The transportation section of
the economy will find new tech-
nologies and their emissions will
eventually decrease. LaCount
showed his audience that it is the
power section that needs drastic
work. The proposals for climate
change policies have been re-
viewed since 2008. LaCount ob-
serves, “These are all brand new
areas of policy for us. [Trying] to
do that all at the same time is quite
a task.”
He suggests a gradual change
adding on policies when they
would be most effective and
continually adjusting to what the
country needs in order to bring
it towards healthier air, while still Robert LaCount presents on power production capacities
maintaining a healthy economy. and how carbon dioxide emissions correlate.

Great leaders inspire their followers

Jessica Ho lieve it to be true. able others to act. There are six leadership The problem with this type
Staff Writer The rest of Mondry’s lecture A good leader doesn’t say styles, and the all have their pros of style is that when urgency is
continually referred back to the things just to say them. “Model- and cons. needed, a democratic leader
Leadership is important, but ideas in this video, which can be ing the way is really about show- The first type of style is vision- cannot make a quick decision
sometimes it can be hard to be found on www.ted.com. “If you ing behaviors that you’re try- ary. Mondry states, “these kinds without the team’s consensus.
a good leader. On November really do have a well-articulated, ing to propagate in your team,” of leaders are generally not good On the other hand, a pace-
9, Mark Mondry lectured about inspiring belief that people can Mondry explained. A good leader at telling you ‘how.’” Visionary setting leader sets a high stan-
leadership as part of the Engi- attach their own beliefs to, they is sure to “walk the talk” as well. leaders are usually the ones who dard of pace, output, and quality
neering and Technology Man- will follow automatically because Inspiring a shared vision want to start a new company or of output. “You know these peo-
agement series. He started by it’s self-fulfilling for them, not means to clearly define a goal, who want to take something in ple,” Mondry stated. “Type triple-
engaging the audience and ask- because you’re a leader,” Mon- and encouraging the heart is a new direction. Although they As.” While these leaders get a lot
ing what leadership meant to dry stated. “As a leader it’s not about stating that goal in a way have big dreams. of work done, they tend to create
them. only about you…it’s about get- that will attract people. Chal- The next leaders are coach- a very stressful environment.
“You’ve probably experienced ting that other person to think lenge the process is about in- ing and affili- The last type
good leadership
in your lifetime.
“If you’re not constantly differently and
act differently.
novation and creativity. “If you’re
not constantly looking at things
ated leaders.
Coaching
A great leader can have of style is com-
manding, which
Think about looking at things that It’s a pretty that can be challenged, then leaders like many different attributes, is often associ-
somebody that powerful con- how can you create a new fu- to work ated with the
was an impres- can be challenged, then cept.” ture?” Mondry asked. “Leaders one-on-one but the most important military. However,
sive leader, an With so are constantly identifying oppor- with people, “even the military
inspiring leader how can you create a new much discus- tunities to create a new future, to which is thing is to have a vision has moved away
to you, and sion about improve things…to inspire peo- great for in- from this style
think about future?” Mondry asked. having a vision ple to do more.” dividual de- that inspires others to fol- as the dominant
and inspiring Lastly, leadership is not all velopment;
what made
low. With the right tools style” because
them an inspir- “Leaders are constantly other people, about having power and author- h o w e v e r, statistics show
ing leader… Mondry posed ity. A good leader enables others these lead- and the right mindset, that it is not very
what kind of at-
identifying opportunities the question, to act. “I’m absolutely convinced ers can of- effective. “But it
tributes did that
to create a new future, to “Is leadership your careers are going to be built ten be seen anybody can become a applies when you
person have?” only about in- on collaboration,” exclaimed as “micro- need immedi-
After lis- improve things…to in- spiration?” He Mondry. “You’ll see very few truly managers.” great leader. ate compliance,”
tening to re- answered this inspiring leaders that try to take With affiliat- Mondry said.
sponses from spire people to do more.” question by all the credit.” ed leaders, “the focus is on how All of these leadership styles
the audience, saying, “no, With leadership fully defined, to create a working environment can be seen in anyone by every-
Mondry turned inspiration is Mondry continued on to discuss that is harmonious, that is par- one.
their attention to a 20-minute only the beginning of becoming different leadership styles. Most ticipative, that is not destruc- A great leader can have many
video called, “How great leaders a leader because it attracts fol- people have a distinct style of tive.” Affiliated leaders usually different attributes, but the most
inspire action.” lowers.” leadership, but “the truly inspir- arise when a company is trying important thing is to have a vi-
In the video, Simon Sinek The rest of leadership can be ing leaders are the ones that rec- to rebuild after a crisis. sion that inspires others to fol-
speaks about how leaders in- defined in five basic phrases: ognize that styles are different Democratic leaders like to in- low.
spire people to follow them. His model the way, inspire a shared tools that need to be captured, corporate every team member’s With the right tools and the
main idea is that people follow a vision, encourage the heart, used, and modified with the oc- ideas into something truly inno- right mindset, anybody can be-
leader’s vision because they be- challenge the process, and en- casion and circumstance.” vative. come a great leader.

w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
page 4
This week in The stars shine
Colorado History brightly above Mines
An optimistic week
Deborah Good
Content Manager
Apparently, the editors of the
Colorado Transcript were having
a good week in 1880. Their sec-
tion on local news is upbeat and
provides a little bit of everything.
The weather was cold (18 degrees
Fahrenheit below 0!), and it was “a
good night for a sleigh ride” on No-
vember 17, 1880. The population
was increasing, merchants report-
ed good trade, there was water
in Clear Creek, the public schools
were thriving, and prospectors
were coming to winter quarters.
The city council had just decided
to reduce their meeting schedule
to once a month. Overall, life was
good (despite Denver papers alleg-
ing the pointlessness of even one
meeting).
In a more dramatic snippet, a
young man attempted to jump on
the front cowcatcher on a mov-
Geek Week
Nick Matthews
Staff Writer
As the weather gets colder and
the daylight gets shorter, life can
become quite desperate for even
the best of us. So for a student like
Alex Hansen, the dropping temper-
atures could signal the end at any
time, making future interviews nigh
impossible to conduct. Thanks to
the surplus of Oredigger newspa-
pers around campus, however, this
MME junior was able to stick it out
on the park bench long enough
to be immortalized in Geek of the
Week lore.
[Oredigger]: According to
outside sources, you may qual-
ify as a geek. Do you think that
this is correct?
[Hansen]: Yes? Why else would
you be talking to me? Plus, if you
go to Mines, it is safe to bet that
9 out of 10 people you know are
geeks.
But what makes me a geek?
Could it be my love of “Scrubs” or
my extensive knowledge of mov-
ies and a secret love of musicals?
Maybe it is the fact that whenever
I have a chance, I sing every mo-
ment of Bohemian Rhapsody. I
don’t know, maybe it is one of
these things or one of the many
other geeky qualities I sorta hide
- or sometimes flaunt - from the
world.
Some might say, based on
your photo shoot, that hobo is
a better description. What do
you have to say to that?
Screw you! It’s hard living on the
streets…. I’ve heard. But seriously,
it is winter time and I am really lazy.
I can’t help but to wear old sweat-
ers and not shave. Still, I guess if
I saw me on the street I’d think,
“That guy needs a warm bowl of
soup and a job.”
So, according to your sign,
you will work (you spelled work
wrong, by the way) for beer,
sex, or a degree. Which of
f e a t u r e s
ing train. Fortunately, he was not
seriously harmed, though he did
come close to being thrown under
the wheels. The Colorado Tran-
script commented, “Those narrow-
gauge engines are not very large,
boys, ‘tis true, but they are hardly
large enough for you to play with in
that manner.”
Politics was a topic of concern
130 years ago, just as it is now.
John A. Kasson of Iowa was an-
nounced as the US Speaker of the
House. Rumors flew that General
Sherman would cede his position
to President Grant, when the presi-
dent’s term ended in March, 1881.
The paper wrote, “That would be
accommodating. Perhaps Sher-
man’s zeal for the party is not so
great as Grant’s, and it may be
that an emergency will arise where
party zeal will be necessary in the
general of the army.” Partisan poli-
tics (and humor about them) are
not unique to today’s world.
of
the
these things would you work
hardest for?
Sex, definitely sex… The other
two are just so easy to get.
What is your geekiest habit,
or habits, in the unlikely event
that you have several?
Hmmm, habit? It might have
to be turning everything into math
or some kind of solvable problem.
Like when I am driving on a curvy
round, I wonder what is the cen-
tripetal force acting on my car? Or
how fast would I have to be going
to cause my tires to slip and what
would be the coefficient of friction
between my tires and the road?
So why did you choose
Mines as the school at which
you could express your inner
geekdom?
For all the ladies of course! That
and I love math and science and
girls…. Wait…
So, how do you define “free
time” and when you have it,
what do you do with it?
Well this is the first semester
that, I’ve had free time and I am fi-
nally starting to remember what it is
like. I pretty much spend it working
out then playing video games until
I find something fun to do, or un-
til I get distracted by stumbling on
the Internet learning random facts
about random things. I used to re-
ally like reading Greek mythology,
but I ran out of stories…sad day.
Man, my free time seems so awe-
some when I talk about it out loud.
So, who is your favorite
power ranger?
White Ranger of course! Also,
I’d like to point out that all the new
Power Rangers are wimps com-
pared to the old school ones.
What is the geekiest thing
you’ve seen happen at Mines
so far?
There are so many things, but
off the top of my head I come up
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
John Bristow
Staff Writer
As the cold winter nights grow
longer and longer, the beauty
of the sky blossoms forth. The
tranquil night air brings a calm
to the sky that is unrivaled and
the brisk temperatures takes the
normally independent activity
and brings astronomers togeth-
er. The beginning of the winter
is heralded by the appearance
of seven familiar stars over the
east in what is one of best star
rises of the whole year.
If you happen to find yourself
on a clear winter night, look to
the east after about nine in the
evening. Sitting beautifully over
the city is the remarkable con-
stellation of Orion and all of the
astronomy wonders that it pos-
sesses. Orion is one of the most
familiar constellations along with
the Big Dipper and the South-
...Alex Hansen, Junior: Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
with…
At one of my first Mines parties
there was a guy in the corner doing
Calc 3 homework between beer
pong games. I thought he was a
total nerd then… but I have learned
the value of mixing drinking and
homework.
Then there was the time I went
to a party, and I missed the part
where it was a LAN party. Such a
great night of DotA and Starcraft….
I mean, what?
Finally, it might have to be a
night combining all three. A night of
homework, drinking, and World of
Warcraft. I won’t reveal names.
Apart from being a role
model for those less worthy to
be bestowed the title of geek,
what are your other hobbies?
Lifting, I go five times a week
with my buddy Nolan. Hang-
ing out with Nolan - can that
be a hobby? Cooking; I love
to cook! Especially deserts.
My specialties are choco-
late covered truffles. Do I re-
ally have time for many other
hobbies? I guess movies, if
you count sitting and watch-
ing movies.
So if you could have
one superpower, what
would it be?
Time travel. Hands down,
time travel.
Why that power?
Seriously? Do we need to
list the unlimited possibilties
that would make me want
to use time travel? The only
other reasonable alterna-
tive would be Jedi powers,
which is only better if you get
a lightsaber.
How did you choose
your major?
Because of Elaine. I was
looking for a new major and
after one talk with her she
ern Cross, simply because the
stars are so bright, even in the
lighter skies over a city. It would
have been a tremendous sight,
seeing this constellation appear
above a bright campfire, even af-
ter the rest of the luminous orbs
that make the stars were washed
out by the comforting light. It still
holds this presence today.
Almost every ancient culture
recognizes these seven stars as
something important; whether it
is a deer, a canoe, a flea god, or
according to western tradition,
a hunter, these stars have stood
out prominently in the heavens.
As we have been told, Orion is
a great hunter who is up in the
skies, venerated as a hero after
his death by Scorpio. The four
bright stars that form a trapezoid
are the body as he strikes a hunt-
ing stance. The three stars in a
row halfway through the constel-
lation make up his belt and hang-
made MME sound like the great-
est major, which it is! Seriously, if
anyone ever has any doubt, just go
talk to her in the office of Hill Hall;
you will be converted.
What made MME so much
better than Chem E?
Lots of things. Like the fact that
we get to make and break things.
We get to avoid classes that turn
out to be useless for our major.
And, we are happy a majority of
the time.
What is your dream life after
you get out of Mines?
Finding a beautiful rich woman
and traveling the world while we
both only have to work when we
feel like it. Might have a dog with
me, ‘cause dogs rule?
Do you have any vices that
the world should know about?
Alex Hansen panhandles in front of Hill Hall.
november 15, 2010
ing down from this is his sword
which is made up of the magnifi-
cent Orion Nebula.
As mentioned before, Orion
is a treasure trove of sights for
the amateur astronomer. Stars
like Betelgeuse and Rigel stand
out as excellent examples of
their type and on even the light-
est nights, the red emanating
from Betelgeuse, a classic red
giant, can be differentiated from
the white of the other stars. Also
within the constellation is the
Orion Nebula. This can be found
halfway through the sword and
is possibly one of the most
beautiful sights in the night sky
that can be found with a normal
telescope. It is within this nebula
that larger telescopes such as
the Hubble have been able to
see stars and planetary systems
forming. It is quite possible that
our own system formed in such
a beautiful nursery.
What would a person have to
give you to win over your heart?
None that you should know
about. They are for me to know
and for others to figure out later at
an undisclosed date.
Have a sense of humor; think
about that when rereading this fan-
tastic article. Be versatile in your
ability to sit around and do noth-
ing but cuddle and watch movies
or to go out on a spontaneous ad-
venture. Don’t be afraid of doing
anything, or nothing for that matter.
Do you have any advice for
aspiring geeks?
Let the geek flag fly! Seriously,
if you can’t have fun being geeky
here then where can you? But
don’t let being geeky make you
afraid of being cool; you can be a
geek and still be cool.
NICK MATTHEWS / OREDIGGER
november 15, 2010
Turkey Trivia turns trivial Don’tcha wish
for a dish of fish?
Joshua Kleitsch
Staff Writer
Contrary to the title of this
event, Turkey Trivia had nothing
to do with turkeys. On Tuesday
night, several groups of students
gathered in teams to combine
their knowledge of trivia for the
opportunity to win a variety of
cool and tasty prizes. With cat-
egories such as “Popular Movies”
and “Acronyms,” this was sure
to be an interesting night full of
laughter and literary mishaps.
The questions came thick and
fast, as the teams each competed
by offering their wittiest answers
to the myriad questions. Hosted
by Alpha Phi Omega, this trivia
night was organized to help ben-
efit the Food Bank of the Rockies;
with a buy-in of two cans of food.
Due Date drags the audience
for a little longer than it should
Stephen Hejducek
Content Manager
Due Date is a great example
of a movie that the critics hate
and the fans love. Hailed to be
a movie with as much humor as
The Hangover, Due Date falters
greatly when attempting to focus
almost completely on star Zach
Galifianakis’ ability to be weird,
awkward and very annoying. The
humor in this movie goes into
two very distinct directions: ut-
terly hilarious and absolutely re-
volting. This being said, Robert
Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis
work amazingly well together as
a mix-matched friendship that
would have never occurred un-
less a bong, that was thought
to contain toxic chemicals, had
45 films, 6 countries, 16 states
Nick Matthews
Staff Writer
“What are you missing when
you’re looking at screens?” This
is the question posed by the
feature film of this years Colo-
rado Environmental Film Festival
(CEFF). Last week marked the
fifth annual film festival and its
celebrated its continued pres-
ence as a major creative staple
for Golden.
The CEFF is a film festival de-
signed to honor the environment,
educate others on the problems it
faces, and push the population to
action. The subjects of the films
spanned multiple continents with
visits to African deserts and Alas-
kan mountains. While some of
the films dealt with direct threats
to the natural environment, oth-
ers drew attention to the increas-
ing human separation from it.
When show time finally arrived
Thursday night, the eagerness in
the room was tangible. The lights
went down and the prefilm short
“Skylight” fired up. “Skylight,” di-
rected by David Baas, was a very
cute film about the plight of the
penguins of the Antarctic. The
short showed in a clever comic
fashion how the holes we put in
f e a t u r e s
If making a trip to the grocery
store wasn’t on the to-do list for
the day, then a buy-in for $2 was
also presented. All proceeds from
the event went to the food bank.
Prizes for the night included
$10 gift certificates to Sherpa
House and other local restau-
rants, a football signed by Ed
McCaffrey and several cases of
soda.
Though disappointed by the
lack of turkey-specific trivia ques-
tions, many of the questions were
quite funny and interesting. One
category that one would expect
to see here at Mines was acro-
nyms, which contained various
technical terms and phrases re-
lated to gaming. One category
that was perhaps less well-known
was popular culture, which asked
which actors have made what
been found in Downey Jr.’s bag
on an airplane. Ethan Tremblay
(Galifianakis), a striving Holly-
wood actor, and Peter Highman
(Downey Jr.), a soon-to-be father
whose wife is going into labor in
the next 3 days, rush to California
to bear witness to the birth of his
first child.
By the end of this movie, many
audience members had to fight
the urge to run up to the screen
and hit Tremblay in the face. From
doing unmentionable things next
to Peter, to getting stoned and
driving into Mexico, Tremblay is
one very annoying character. Un-
like in The Hangover, when Galifi-
anakis was very comical with his
oddities, in Due Date he goes to
the extreme and becomes pos-
sible one of the most annoying
the ozone layer affect the rest of
the natural world. It was a light-
hearted look at a very serious
problem facing the earth.
Following “Skylight” came the
headliner, “Play Again,” direct-
ed by Tonje Schei. Introduced
by producer Meg Merrill, “Play
Again” was a powerful film about
the impact of screens on the lives
of children. Unlike previous gen-
erations, screens have become
an ever more pervasive part of
the daily lives of children. From
the Disney Channel to Xbox to
the tiny screens of cell phones,
technology is having an impact
on lives, and it is not always a
good one.
A large part of the film revolved
around a group of tweens that
were “screen addicted.” Whether
it was video games, television,
or cell phones, they all had one
thing in common - an addiction.
“It was like a drug. It was ad-
dicting,” said one tween. And,
“To be without my phone would
be depressing. Lonely.” These
were just some of the surpris-
ing - or maybe not so surprising
- statements by the kids in the
film about their electronic habits.
According to statistics in the film,
children of this generation spend
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
page 5
movies to which actors have
made the most money to which
movie has had the highest gross
profit in today’s dollars.
The night was taken by “The
Irish,” who narrowly beat out Nick Matthews 2 tablespoons paprika
“Singles Corner, B*****s!” in the Staff Writer Melted butter/olive oil
last round. The grand prize for Directions:
Whether of not you were a fan First, preheat the oven to 400
taking the competition was the
of fish previously, you will be after °F, and in a medium sized bowl,
soda and a gift certificate of their
this. This easy, yet delicious, recipe mix all of the dry ingredients to-
choice. The Irish decided to leave
will hit your mouth and drop your gether. After completing this step,
the soda and just take the gift
jaw. So, pull out a baking pan and brush the melted butter or olive oil
certificate.
sharpen those knives because this on each side of the tilapia loins.
Though not terribly well-at-
yummy cichlid is to die for. Once completely coated in the but-
tended, Turkey Trivia was a fun
Ingredients: ter or oil, roll each loin into the mix-
break from classes and offered a
Parmesan crusted tilapia ture and bake at 400 °F for 30-35
chance to relax and maybe even
4 tilapia loins minutes, or until fish is translucent
win a good meal. Perhaps in the
3/4 cup grated parmesan in color and tender enough to cut
future Alpha Phi Omega will in-
1 tablespoon chopped parsley with a fork. Enjoy!
corporate more turkey-specific
questions into their repertoire, NICK MATTHEWS / OREDIGGER
maybe even increasing their at-
tendance as a result.
characters ever. Another flaw
with this movie was the casting
of Robert Downey Jr.. Nothing
against Mr. Downey Jr.’s acting
skills, which were superb, it is
just that after the Iron Man mov-
ies, he should be sticking to ac- Parmesan crusted tilapia ready to be served.
tion movies and not second-rate
comedies.
In conclusion, Due Date is not
really worth the time or the money
GOLDEN
to go see alone, but with friends, Colorado School of Mines Golden Square • 601 16th St.
the movie becomes slightly more Student Discount (Just show current school ID) (Behind Burger King)
enjoyable and bearable. Though 303-277-0817
Hours:
at ten dollars a movie, why not go M-F 8-9; Sat. 8-6; Sun. 10-4
see a movie with a better plot and We carry Great Clips, American Crew,
better humor, like Megamind. All- Nioxin, and Matrix haircare products.
3off haircut
in-all, Due Date is about a 5 out of
10 and it would be better to wait
$
Not valid with any other offers. Limit one coupon
and rent this movie once it comes
per customer. Good only at Golden Square.
out on DVD and Blu-ray.
A Great Haircut. Guaranteed.
the least amount of time out-
doors - as little as 10% of their
Explore A Career In Teaching
Teacher Education Progr am
time. This goes hand in hand
with fears from some experts that with classes at
this may be the first generation
to have a shorter lifespan than
their parents. It is saddening,
and shows the importance of the
film’s message. The overarching
theme of the film, as well as a EDU 221 Introduction to Teacher Education
3 credits
greater theme of the entire festi-
Explore teaching as a career choice and study the historical,
val, could be captured in a state- social, political, philosophical, cultural, legal and economic
ment from the movie, “Before we forces that shape the United States public school system.
can change this [problem] envi-
ronmentally as stewards of the EDU 288 Field Based Experience
planet; first, we need to believe 1 credit
(co-requisite with EDU 221)
we are stewards.”
Provides students with experience in the “real world” of the
“Play Again” started the film classroom and gives input for wise and early career choices.
festival off on a strong note, but it
was far from the only quality film EDU 261 Teaching, Learning and Technology
present. There were films from 3 credits
across the country as well as Prepares students to integrate technology into their teaching
from across the globe. With sub- curriculum. It enables students to design educational and
training materials incorporating instructional technology.
jects ranging from saving turtles
(May receive graduation level credit from CSM.)
to recycling to eating sustainably
in Alaska, there was a film for ev- All of the above classes will transfer as electives to the Colorado School of Mines
eryone, and something to open
anyone’s eyes further to the con- Register Now for Spring 2011
cerns of the future. If we humans Classes start January 18
work to turn these problems of www.rrcc.edu
the future into problems of the
For more information contact Sharon Lantz at 303.914.6541
past, someday environmental or sharon.lantz@rrcc.edu
film festivals will be able to show
films about “What if we didn’t...?”
rather than “What if we don’t...?”
page 6
Sufjan Stevens: confusing heartache
with the end of the world
Tim Weilert
Something Like Sound Blogger
As the lights dimmed at the his-
toric Paramount Theater, my heart
skipped a beat. Out of the darkness,
Sufjan Stevens and his band took
the stage as projections of stars be-
gan to move and dance across the
giant screen set on the back of the
performance area. Quietly plucking
a banjo, Stevens started into “Seven
Swans,” a song about celestial vi-
sions and extraordinary occurrenc-
es. Upon reaching the first bridge,
the entire stage erupted in a massive
wave of sound and color. “Seven
Swans” was a folk song no more- it
had become a means of intensely
declaring the beginning of the show
and the end of times.
The re-worked rendition of “Sev-
en Swans” stood as a harbinger of
things to come. Shifting quickly into
several cuts from his newest record
The Age of Adz, the backing im-
agery changed and mesmerized,
culminating in a Royal Robertson-
inspired display of images from the
end of the world. Remarking on the
paradox between self-preservation
and the urge to dive into “the uni-
verse” (or, as he put it, “Whatever
psychobabble you prefer”) Stevens
& Co. drove straight in to a fiery ren-
dition of “Vesuvius.”
During several instances through-
out the evening, Stevens talked at
length about the tension between his
old art-forms and what he described
as a “sonic-journey.” Explaining how
Do you work on Campus on
Saturdays? proudly serving allegro coffee & tea
You can now get your AFPP organic espresso drinks
(Afternoon Face Plant
Prevention) at the Book & Brew hormone - free milk
f e a t u r e s november 15, 2010
he found camaraderie in the out- Wanyne Gacy Jr.”)
ALL PHOTOS TIM WEILERT / OREDIGGER
sider artist Robertson, Stevens pro- In retrospect, this may
ceeded to walk through his personal have been one of the best
descent into experimentalism and concerts I have ever attended.
the process of art as a form of hu- Once the music started, every
man development and the mistake other thing on my mind van-
of confusing heartache with the end ished and I was absorbed into
of the world. the sound and sight of it all.
The entire night had been pulsing This feeling is rare, and only
and moving toward a grand finale. comes about as the result of
The epic 35-minute rendition of “Im- witnessing raw emotion and
possible Soul” was truly a remark- skill on display. Furthermore, I
able piece of performance art. Ebb- now have a greater apprecia-
ing and flowing from one movement tion for the new artistic direc-
to the next, this one song managed tions Stevens has decided
to conjure feelings of intense exuber- to pursue. The Age of Adz
ance and melancholy. Things got a is truly one of those records
little strange, and other-worldly as that lends itself to a grandiose
transitions occurred. Perhaps one of showing in a live environment.
the more entertaining bits came to- For more photos and vid-
ward the end, when Stevens put on eos from the show visit www.
a Michael Jackson-inspired glove, minesblog.com/music
Kanye West-inspired shut-
ter shades, a monkey mask,
and began using autotuned
and vocoded microphones.
Following “Impossible
Soul,” Stevens played his
most famous song- “Chica-
go.” Similar to the reworked
version of “Seven Swans,”
the new version of his sin-
gle was brought to a new
life, perhaps surpassing
the original form. Following
a brief break, Stevens re-
turned to the stage (sans
his band) to perform a few
soft, acoustic songs (“Con-
cerning the UFO...” “To Be
Alone With You,” and “John Sufjan Stevens and his band take the stage at Paramount Theater.
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
november 15, 2010 s p o r t s page 7

Mines Diving excels in weekend meet ALL PHOTOS STEVEN WOOLDRIDGE / OREDIGGER

Members from the Mines Diving team competed against

Colorado College Saturday. Jesse Dennis and Sarah
Moore placed first in the Men and Women’s 1 and 3 me-
ter diving, respectively. Team members Kim Anderson,
Melissa Ashwood, Christina Bailo, Marcus Nelson, Adam
Vogel helped support an overall meet win.

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w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
page 8
Trevor Crane
Content Manager
It didn’t take Sheldon “Tesho”
Akindele to make his mark on
Oredigger athletics. The true fresh-
man, in only his fourth month in
Golden, Akindele has become a
force to be reckoned with in Divi-
sion II soccer. Currently undecided
about his major, the he currently
leads Mines in goals (17), points
(45) and is third on the team in as-
sists (7). Akindele added an assist
on the Oredigger’s first goal during
a 5-1 win over Regis University that
became the first NCAA tourna-
ment win in program history. And
recently, the freshman received
national recognition as he was
featured in ESPN The Magazine’s
Faces in the Crowd article. Other
awards include being named to the
All-Conference RMAC team, 2010
Freshman of the Year as well as
the RMAC player of the month for
October. As Mines heads to Texas
to look to continue its postseason
run, Akindele will be an integral
part of the team’s success. And
the scary part is, he has three more
Men’s Basketball starts season with win against Tabor
ALL PHOTOS STEVEN WOOLDRIDGE / OREDIGGER
Sean Armstrong (#5) posted 11 points for Mines on Saturday night.
Gordon Galloway (#52) makes the layup despite
heavy pressure from Tabor College.
Athlete
... Tesho Akindele, Freshman: Undeclared, Men’s Soccer
years of soccer in his future. For his
efforts and performances this year,
Akindele is this week’s Athlete of
the Week.
[Oredigger] How did you end
up coming to Mines?
[Akindele]I’m from Colorado
and I wanted to stay in state, also
math is my favorite subject so
Mines just seemed like the perfect
choice.
When did your soccer career
get started?
My dad has always played soc-
cer so he got me into it when I was
really young.
When you’re not excelling
on the soccer field, what other
hobbies do you like?
I like to play basketball and foot-
ball with my friends every once and
a while.
In my free time I really like to
watch TV and play video games. I
like watching The Office and Jer-
sey Shore, and I like playing FIFA.
Last week, Mines defeated
Ft. Lewis in penalty kicks for the
RMAC tournament championship.
Describe what that meant to your
team.
Sean Armstrong (#5) meets little resistance
with a 3-point shot in the first half.
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
s p o r t s november 15, 2010
of
the
Week
There is a big rivalry between How do you remain focused people there are. Every day I feel
us and Ft. Lewis. I’m still young, in the classroom and on the like I meet someone new.
but a lot of the older guys really field? What has been your favorite
like to beat them, especially since Well the reason I’m here is for aspect of Mines so far?
we haven’t beat Ft. Lewis in a long school, and if I don’t do good in My favorite part of mines has
time. Winning the RMAC tourna- school I won’t be able to play soc- been playing on the soccer team
ment means a lot to us, we hope cer. That thought keeps me going. and meeting new people.
it’s just helping us get one step What has surprised you the Least Favorite?
closer to a national championship. most about Mines? My least favorite part of mines
And ending Ft. Lewis’ season is al- I was surprised at how many has been chemistry class for sure!!!
ways nice. STEVEN WOOLDRIDGE / OREDIGGER
What has been your favorite
part about being a part of the
success that this year’s team
has witnessed?
I really like how our team comes
together like a family. We’re there
for each other on and off the field.
I’m just glad I got to be a part of
such a great team and great group
of guys.
How has the transition been
for you from high school to col-
lege soccer (especially at such
a competitive program)?
It’s hard to get used to all the
homework we have here. It’s a lot
more work than we ever had in
high school. It’s difficult to balance
school work with all the hours of
practice, but it’s definitely worth it. Tesho drives up the field earlier this season.
Gordon Galloway (#52) fires up the crowd with an early
dunk in the second half.
Brett Green (#11) led the Orediggers to a 87-69
victory by personally recording 25 points.
november 15, 2010
Mines Football named co-champions in RMAC
Trevor Crane
Content Manager
It couldn’t have been scripted
any better. Triple overtime. Senior
Day. Parent’s weekend. RMAC
title and playoff berth on the line.
Mines faced 4th and 1 on the
Nebraska-Kearney 5 yard line
trailing by 6 in the third extra ses-
sion. The Lopers defensive line
and defensive back Sam Kuck
had been dominating the ground
game all day. So what does coach
Bob Stitt do? He does what ev-
ery coach does and calls a statue
of liberty trick play. Clay Garcia
rolled to his right to found a wide
open Scott McManigal for the
touchdown to tie the game. CSM
now faced one of the biggest
two-point conversions in their
programs history. One three yard
grab by Robbin Vinnola later, and
Mines had claimed its first RMAC
championship since 2004 by de-
feating #8 Nebraska-Kearney 55-
53 Saturday at Campbell Field in
Golden, CO.
For Vinnola, it was the peak of
The Orediggers welcome their starters for the last regular season game of the 2010 sea-
son.
Dan Palmer (#36) runs the ball in the red zone.
his incredible career for his final
game in Golden. Vinnola finished
the game with 11 receptions for
96 yards, a touchdown, and it
was his presence on key plays
that solidified the upset win. His
20 yard reception on 3rd and
20 kept a crucial drive alive in
the second quarter, and his 6’4”
frame snatched up an onside kick
at the end of regulation that nearly
iced the game for Mines. But it
was the final play of the game that
Vinnola will remember as his two-
point conversion catch in triple
overtime lifted the Orediggers to
victory.
The victory gives Mines a share
of the RMAC regular season
championship, an award which
CSM has not earned since the un-
defeated 2004 team that boasted
Oredigger greats such as Jonny
Chan and Harlon Hill Trophy win-
ner Chad Friehauf
For this season, it was as if
Friehauf had returned for the blue
and silver as Garcia’s play has
been emulated the CSM great.
Garcia finished Saturday’s game
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
s p o r t s page 9
with video game stats as he threw zone! Touchdown! Touchdown fort in the biggest game of the
40/61 for 417 yards and four Mines! Oh My! I think I just had a season. McVay connected on a
touchdowns. His performance stroke!” 40 yard field goal in double over-
comes on the heels of being On offense, running back Dan time to keep CSM alive in the con-
named one of 24 finalists for the Palmer struggled between the test. McVay ended the day 2-2 on
Harlon Hill Trophy, the Division II goal lines, but punched it in when field goals and the 40 yard boot
equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. it counted, finishing with 46 yards the second longest of his career.
The only other CSM player to earn and 3 touchdowns. The 46 yards Punter Taylor Accardi continued
the award was Friehauf in 2004. seem like a mediocre total for a his dominance, averaging 44.4
Alex Vigil led starting running back, yards on 5 punts.
the Orediggers de- With the exception but each one of those Before the game, the Oredig-
fense with 10 tack- yards were hard gers were ranked 9th in the
les as senior Marc of two tough losses earned against one Central Super Region. The top 6
Schiechl added of the best defense teams in the Super Region contin-
8 tackles and 2 on the year, the fronts in the coun- ue on to postseason play, with the
critical sacks. For
Schiechl, it was an
2010 football team try and kept enough
pressure off Garcia
exception of conference champi-
ons, who can be entered if they
amazing game to has been nearly to give him room to are in the top 8. The win earned
end a stellar career throw. CSM the #6 seed in the East re-
at Campbell and perfect. On the receiving gion. They will continue play Nov.
Brooks Fields. His end, Jerod Doucet 20 against #3 Grand Valley State
two sacks extend his Division II led the Orediggers with 8 catches in Allendale, MI.
record to 44. for 114 yards; Cody Renken add- With the exception of two
The quote of the day belongs to ed 92 yards and a touchdown on tough losses on the year, the 2010
Mines Internet Radio broadcaster 8 receptions as well. football team has been nearly per-
Jake Stein calling the touchdown The subplot of the game would fect. And although Mines loses 12
from Garcia to McManigal: have to be the special team’s play. solid senior members: Garcia,
“Garcia takes the snap. He The kicking game has struggled Renken, and Palmer return next
fakes to Palmer, he’s going to run! all year long, but true freshman fall. The future for football is bright
He finds McManigal in the end kicker responded with a solid ef- in Golden.
ALL PHOTOS CHRIS ENGER / OREDIGGER
Jerrod Doucet (#3) makes a reception for the first down.
Fans celebrate with the RMAC co-champions after the hard-fought game.
page 10 o p i n i o n
Minds at Mines
Holiday season
Nick Matthews
Staff Writer
November is already half over and the holiday season is right around
the corner. And between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, there’s some-
thing for everybody to get into the spirit of the season. Snow, lights, baked
goods, family, and friends; it seems everyone has a favorite part of this
time of year. So the Oredigger hit the streets of Mines to find out, “What
is your favorite part of the holiday season?”
“[My] favorite part of the holiday season
is, of course, the food! ...particularly gra-
vy...and cookies...yeah...”
Will Kuhlman
“Time off, so you can catch up with friends
and family... and gravy. You can slather them with
gravy.”
Daniel Harrison
“Taking a break from the cold weather to
visit the family. Arizona. It’s really, really
nice in the winter there.”
Brandon Hodge
“No homework. I don’t know, man.
Probably just no homework. My favor-
ite part of the holiday season would be
having time for myself to do whatever
I want and to get fat off of really good
ham. Ham and potatoes, both...”
Harrison Neal
“[My favorite part is] spending all my money
on worthless stuff that no one will remem-
ber after a month. That, and reindeer
mounting.”
James Douglass
ALL PHOTOS NICK MATTHEWS / OREDIGGER
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w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
november 15, 2010
Morals to your story
Shira Richman
Ethics Columnist
Dilemma
My friend was recently offered a job in a new department at our company. I was actually the one who told him
about the new opportunity. Recently, however, I’ve heard from a reliable source that this new department is not ex-
pected to survive, that it may be a holding tank for people the company wants to get rid of.
I don’t want my friend to lose his job. I’ve told him he should find out more about the new job and make sure it
seems sound, but he seems content to believe that it is the best thing ever. I don’t want to tell him exactly what I’ve
heard and from whom. My friend has a big mouth and I don’t want it to be known that I have leaked private informa-
tion.
What should I do? Do I have ethical obligations to my company? To my friend?
--Under the Weight of Knowledge
Responses
It appears to me that the best possible course of action to take, at this point, is no action at all. Take a look at what
you have and haven’t done. First of all, you’ve helped your friend find a job that he may or may not take. You have also
warned him, even if indirectly, that this job may not be something that he will have long-term. This was an admirable
gesture in attempting to protect your friend from the potential of him being laid-off in the future.
Because you made this effort, and despite the fact that your friend appears to be too stubborn to listen, it seems
that any ethical obligation you have to your friend has been fulfilled. You not only have attempted to help them, but you
have also warned him of there being potential danger. At the same time, you have not revealed any private informa-
tion, or information that can be considered so, of your company.
You do have an ethical obligation to fulfill in regards to your company: keeping private information private. This ethi-
cal obligation is based upon a mutual understanding between you and the company when they hired you. In return
for a paycheck, you agreed to work for your company, as well as to keep information meant to be private the way it
was intended, private.
Additionally, despite coming from a reliable source, this information could in fact still be considered hearsay due to
its “gossipy” nature. This presents another reason you should not tell your friend about the potential danger of getting
the job.
If you feel you cannot sit by and let events unfold by themselves, however, I would suggest that you once again
encourage your friend to look into the long-term security of this job as this action breaks no ethical obligations that
you have with your friend or your company.
--Kevyn Young
You do have ethical obligations to your company, but you also have similar obligations to your friend. In this man-
ner, you must discourage him from accepting the position without leaking any private information. 
You can be as creative with this as you like. You could get a really distressed look in your eyes and tell him not to
take the position, no matter what. A little bit of fear might keep him from taking the job, but it also might impact your
friendship because he may think you are crazy.  In any case, the manner in which you discourage him is up to you,
but remember not to say anything that would indicate why he should not take the job.
--Sometimes Eccentricity is the Answer
I would tell my friend indirectly without linking myself to the leaked information. This could be done through an
anonymous note or email or posting the information somewhere your friend will see it.
--Anonymous
 
I believe that the correct moral thing to do in this situation is to inform your friend of the information. Being a friend
always comes before a job. You will be able to have a clear conscience. It will also make your friend happier if he
knows that he has someone who will inform him of bad news. I think he will respect you more and everyone will be
happier; this goes along with utilitarianism in which maximizing happiness is the overall goal.
 --Vinny Delaney
Friendship is the bond that makes humanity possible. Without it we could accomplish little. Your ethical obligations
therefore lie with your friend. If he truly is a friend you can trust him to keep your leak hush hush, and if word does hap-
pen to slip out, you should be able to trust him to keep your name out of the picture. If the company were to put you
in that position and your friend knew the truth behind the move wouldn’t you want him to tell you? Aristotle believes
that morality is derived from honesty.
I say this next comment now with caution. As far as utilitarianism goes, which aims for the greatest amount of hap-
piness, you have no obligation to your friend - as long as you won’t be greatly impacted by the guilt when your friend
is fired. But if you cannot put that on yourself, then clearly the greatest happiness comes from being honest with him.
Corporate America is ruthless and has no regard for anyone, not even you.
--Dakota Mitchell
Your friend seems to be set on the idea that he has a new job awaiting him. I would suggest you tell your friend that
he should research the job more thoroughly and see if there is anything that could go wrong at all. If he cannot find
anything wrong then he should accept the opportunity and live with the consequences whether they are good or bad.
That is one of life’s great virtues—being able to make our own decisions. You have a right to not tell your friend
about your source, and you have the right to tell your friend what you want. Don’t try to convince your friend he’s
making the wrong choice. Let him decide for himself.
--Kdog
Your friend obviously is so excited about the new job and most probably he is not looking at all sides. That’s why I
would suggest that you sit down with your friend and talk about the positive side of it and then talk about the negative
side and circumstances. This will make your friend more confident in his decision, and you will be satisfied that you
did your best.
--Ghadeer Alselemi
Next Week’s Dilemma
I recently started my own business. In my field, my salary is derived in two ways: 1) an hourly charge, and 2) a
mark-up on materials that I personally purchase for the construction projects. Since I am a business owner, I am able
to buy supplies at wholesale rates; it is customary in my field not to tell clients the profit made on these purchases.
I think I should be honest with my clients, though. Since I am already making money by the hour, it seems
excessive to also make a profit on purchases. However, I worry that if I tell my clients about the customary mark-ups
I am revealing a secret of my industry, which will create complications for my colleagues in this field.
Should I follow my own ethical code and be honest with my clients? Or be loyal to my industry and follow its
customs?
--Unnatural Capitalist
We would love to know what you think Unnatural Capitalist should do and the reasons that make you think so.
Do you have an ethical dilemma in your personal, academic, or professional life? You don’t have to figure it out on
your own. Send your ethical dilemmas and responses to Unnatural Capitalist to: srichman@mines.edu
Be sure to let me know if you want your name printed or not and if you have a preferred nickname what it is. We
look forward to hearing from you.
november 15, 2010
Movie Review:Too shy to say it
Janeen Neri
Movie Critic
Movie spoilers follow.
For those disappointed with to-
day’s movie scene, Stock, Aitken,
and Waterman’s 1987 classic Too
Shy to Say It is a welcome alter-
native to 2010’s light-as-popcorn
fare. The stylized sci-fi flick is set in
a dystopian future where people of
any age may be selected for medi-
cal experimentation, much like be-
ing selected for jury duty. Originally
meant to accelerate the life-saving
work of the overstressed biomedi-
cal industry, the program was slowly
co-opted by radical eugenicists
who made a living out of convincing
researchers to request “abnormal”
patients – anyone that deviated too
much from their standard.
By the time Too Shy opens, mul-
tigenerational medical research has
also been legalized, the lawmakers’
consciences quieted after being
told that children born into research
compounds would have no “better”
life to miss. The protagonist, a red-
headed boy named Richard, is one
such child.
The movie begins with a flash-
forward of Richard as a young adult,
singing a lullaby that the researchers
taught the children to make them
love staying at the compound and
keep them obedient to the adults.
The simple chorus recasts the lab
as a maternal figure, one the child
promises never to leave or make
sad. Even as Richard’s backstory is
revealed, and even as we see him
grow up and realize what is really
happening to him, he never quite
stops believing the words of the
song.
The director uses near-constant
echoes of the lullaby to knit together
much of the movie. From the wake-
up call caused by a friend’s failed
escape attempt to his decision to
get his tell-tale red hair lasered off
so he could try to escape himself,
Richard constantly struggles with
fears that he is deserting the com-
pound, his friend, or even his hair.
The most famous scene of the mov-
ie, which appears in the initial flash-
forward and again at the very end,
features Richard weaving the lullaby
in with a sing-song monologue to
his hair. “We’ve known each other
for so long,” he says, as he ponders
whether he will go through with
the hair removal. Years of psycho-
logical reprogramming cause him to
personify his hair, and he credits it
with giving him the idea on how to
escape. “Your heart’s been aching,
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
s a t i r e page 11
Sudoku
but you’re too shy to say it. Inside
we both know what’s been going
on; we know the game, and we’re
gonna play it.”
Unfortunately, Richard’s mind
and body are too damaged by his
life as a lab rat for him to go through
with the plan. As his body fails, his
mind clings to wilder and wilder hal-
lucinations: of frantically dancing
with the rest of the eye research
ward, of his friend throwing himself
against the chain-link fence sur-
rounding the compound, of imagi-
nary backup singers as he fades
away, still clinging to the lullaby.
“Never gonna give you up. Never
gonna let you down. Never gonna
run around and desert you. Never
gonna make you cry, never gonna
say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie
and hurt you.”
As a social commentary, Too
Shy covers well-trodden ground,
but the director makes sure to fo-
cus on the personal aspect of the
story. Rather than trying to prove a
stale point about ethics or politics,
the movie follows Richard’s jour-
ney from a little boy who thinks he
is safe and happy, to a young man
who knows too much about his
See solution at www.oredigger.net/satire
world to be so carefree. Ignorance,
Too Shy explains, is sometimes the
only way to bliss.
 T:10”
page 12 a d v e r t i s e m e n t november 15, 2010

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