Month: October 2013

The best part about eating at your favorite restaurant is ordering your favorite item off the menu and enjoying the sweet, guilty pleasure.

It’s not often people dare to veer from their usual tastes to explore a menu’s variety.

It’s quick and easy to know exactly what you always want from a certain restaurant, but it takes real guts to make a leap of faith and order the item too often skimmed over. Two Dixie Sun News reporters took that leap to discover St. George’s hidden treasures in the unacknowledged parts of restaurant menus.

Mara’s first stop: George’s Corner Restaurant and Pub, Mahi Fish Taco Appetizer

At George’s Corner, located at 200 W. St. George Blvd., I’d normally be drawn to the burger section of any restaurant menu. Coincidentally, when I asked the waitress about a hidden treasure on the menu, she pointed right to the lamb burger.

She said she thinks people are intimidated by unusual meats like lamb, but the lamb burger patty is the tastiest of them all. Her second suggestion was the Fish Taco off of the “Small Bites” section.

I told the waitress I was not a fan of fish or tacos, but perhaps I’d be surprised this time by the unnatural combination.

The taco arrived in a hard corn shell. Traditionally, mahi fish taco recipes online call for soft tortilla shells, but I wasn’t disappointed by the crunchy addition.

I’m not familiar with the rules of making the perfect fish taco, but from what I could taste, the mahi fish had been lightly grilled, leaving a juicy, flavor-filled texture. This is where the use of a soft tortilla shell makes more sense because the fish juices seep through the shell. A freshly made taco may have not had that problem, so perhaps digging right into the taco once it arrives at your table would be the smartest option.

The mahi is a flaky, white fish with a mild flavor. The chipotle seasoning on the fish provided a spicy kick to the rest of the fresh garden ingredients: thinly sliced onion, tomato and Parmesan cheese. I’m an avid spice lover, so naturally I dripped some Tabasco sauce over the shell to top off the spicy experience.

Fish tacos are not my favorite, but I highly recommend George’s Corner’s hidden fishy treasure for those brave enough to venture from their appetite norm.

Mara’s next venture: Sakura Sushi, Sashimi Salad

I had high expectations for my treasure hunt at Sakura Sushi, which is located at 939 E. St. George Blvd. Sushi is an engraved favorite of mine, and I tend to be extra critical about my sushi choices.

The ordering process took a bit longer than George’s Corner. Not that it was irritating, but I was lucky to have an enthusiastic waitress who took the liberty to ensure I would truly get Sakura’s hidden treasure dish by asking the staff members what they would recommend.

I ordered an item called the Sashimi Salad. This was me going way out of my comfort zone as I’m accustomed to ordering the traditional spicy crab roll sushi and miso soup.

Small, bite-sized chunks of raw tuna and salmon dressed in dark salad leaves dripping with sesame oil would not seem like a delicious combination. Pushing aside my fears, I took a timid bite and was unexpectedly satisfied by the spicy touch.

Dripped hot sauce around the edge of the plate gave a spicy addition to the unusual salad. I’ve got to say the hot chili flavoring helped me get through the first nervous bites.

After I got over the raw-fish texture, I had conquered that salad to the end and was pleasantly surprised to have thoroughly enjoyed it. I will definitely be ordering Sakura’s Sashimi Salad again.

Emily’s first adventure: Benja Thai and Sushi, Benja’s Spicy Basil

Benja’s Spicy Basil is a specialty on the Benja Thai and Sushi menu but is not ordered very often, according to the servers.

The dish contains green beans, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, fresh basil and Thai chilies. When the ingredients listed in the dish were presented to me, I could understand why it is not a frequently ordered dish because of its diversity of vegetables.

Green beans, zucchini and carrots are not on the list of ingredients usually associated with spicy basil in the Western U.S.

Benja’s Spicy Basil comes with your choice of meat and rice. All the ingredients were fresh and crisp but cooked enough to be warmed through. The sauce was light and did not leave a residue in the mouth.

The order was of medium spice. Both basil and Thai chilies have a strong taste but it was perfect in this dish and did not over power the flavor of the vegetables.

I recommend Benja’s Spicy Basil, not just for its flavor, but because it does not have an abundance of additives or high-calorie ingredients, if you are counting calories.

Emily’s last stop: St. Helen’s Restaurant and Sports Bar, Rib-Eye

St. Helen’s, located at 395 E. Telegraph Street, is an interesting place. It serves everything from country fried steak to sushi. 

Servers say the rib-eye steak is the most unordered entrée. It comes with your choice of potato, steamed vegetable, and soup or salad.

I was a little concerned about trying the steak because the server said he had only placed one order for the rib-eye since July.

However, I was nicely surprised. The rib-eye was perfectly cooked to order and fresh. It was seared nicely even on booth sides, giving it taste as well as a nice visual in the presentation. 

The steamed vegetables were a nice mix and seasoned evenly but not just with butter and salt. The potato was perfectly baked and not dry. I was impressed with the overall presentation and would recommend the steak on St. Helen’s menu.

A day off from classes? Check. A live band? Check. Hearing from an entrepreneur who began his own business? Check. Learning about careers students are individually interested in? Check. 

All these things and more will be available to both high school and college students. Career day takes place Nov. 12, and no classes will be held that day except night classes and labs.

There are many different reasons why career day could be and may not be beneficial for Dixie State University students.

Joshua Sine, director of new student programs, said career day is focused on high school students more than college students.

“Career day has been turned into a recruitment event,” said Sine, who is the coordinator of career day. “We are trying to engage (high school) students with the campus and the benefits of attending Dixie State University.”

Brett Schwartz, an enrollment mentor in the new student programs office, said he thinks career day could be beneficial for college students.

“Many of our students are undecided with their degrees,” Schwartz said. “They don’t know what they want to do, (and) they don’t know what their career is. So, any information that they can get about the degrees and the careers that are out there is definitely a benefit to them.”

Senior Development Officer Rick Palmer said he could see career day developing into a college event. He said it would have to be done by each individual school, such as the Udvar-Hazy School of Business, at DSU through the career center.

The event will begin at 9:15 a.m. at the Cox Auditorium with Scott Warner as the keynote speaker. Warner is the CEO and founder of gigg.com, a website geared toward musicians and fans.

According to the website, Gigg provides users a way to express, promote and discover music in all forms. Gigg is focused on discovering the greatest musicians in the world while allowing fans to participate in the discovery process.

“(Warner) embodies a lot of what aspiring professionals should be,” Sine said. “He branched out on his own.”

Warner is also bringing one of his up-and-coming bands to perform live.

“During the (keynote speaker), one of (Warner’s) discoveries is going to do a quick performance,” Schwartz said. “Not only are (students) going to be informed, but they will also be entertained. It’s worth it for college and high school students to attend.”

After the keynote speaker, students will choose three available career fields and break up into breakout sessions throughout campus to learn more about those careers, such as law, medicine and education. 

“Students learn some really beneficial things from people that are actually in that field that they want to do,” said Teresa Peterson, guidance counselor at Pine View High School. “If (students) get in there and something sparks their interest that they never even thought would, [then] I think that would be the most beneficial part.”

During the three breakout sessions, there will be a career fair in the Gardner Center to finish the day.

“(The career fair) is open to the public and students,” Schwartz said. “We are going to have several different vendors, businesses, (college) departments (and) the military, so people can walk by and gather information and ask questions.”

For more information and the schedule of events,  visit the website at www.dixie.edu/advisement/career_day.php.

Mass use of Dixie State University’s Wi-Fi from multiple devices has caused consistent Internet unavailability on campus. 

Kai Anderson, a junior CIT major from St. George, said DSU Wi-Fi comprises three servers: RedStorm, DSUhotspot and DSUguest. Students, faculty and guests on campus use Wi-Fi. Anderson said he believes because of this constant use, the Wi-Fi has been slow to the point of not working. Computers, cell phones and iPads are all contributing to the problem.

Brittany Redhouse, a junior general education major from Aneth, said she runs into Wi-Fi trouble when she tries to connect to some of the DSU servers. 

“The only trouble I’ve been having has to be when I connect to the DSUguest and RedStorm,” Redhouse said. “It says it’s limited.”

Anderson said his computer has been kicking him off lately.

“My computer just wouldn’t assign an IP address to work with,” Anderson said.

Anderson said another problem is the connection of multiple cellphones to the Internet. Most wireless carriers used to have unlimited data, but companies such as Verizon and AT&T got rid of it.  Now people rely on Wi-Fi.

Chris Esplin, a sophomore biology major from Orderville and an IT technician for the Smith Computer Center, said his opinion on why the Wi-Fi is bad because the server assigns IP addresses, and the students’ different devices that are connected cause overuse. 

Tevita Sekeni, a junior communication major from Tonga and an IT lab assistant for the Smith Computer Center, said he thinks the school should stick to using one server: Redstorm, in which, guests, students, faculty and staff all use because technocracy is changing every day. When a new product comes in, they have to change the way servers connect for the new technology. Instead of changing three servers, they could just change one server. 

Jerry Matson, director of network services, said the first issue with Wi-Fi occurred because it ran out of IP addresses. The problem has been rectified by adding more IP addresses. The current number of total IP addresses available to the student Wi-Fi at this time is 4,088. Wireless covers a building but not density, which is the amount of people using the wireless. Big areas of high student concentration have the most problems with wireless.  An example of this is the Hazy building, which can have 100 people on the floor. The IT department took care of the Hazy building by changing the access points of the first and second floor Nov. 2. A major problem is students are using as much as three to four devices that require wireless. Whether or not a student is using their devices it is using an IP address.

Matson said the IT department didn’t hear complaints until recently about the Wi-Fi. The IT department has had no issues in the past five years. These problems are all new this semester. The IT department is waiting for more funding to take care of any further Wi-Fi problems. If students want something like the Wi-Fi usage better, they need to let the IT department know. Students can go to the help desk or call (435) 879-4357.

Blood, sweat, tears and a whole lot of cash is what higher education calls for, but is the degree worth it? 

With the cost of education rising and the employment rate for college graduates decreasing, students could question the value of a degree. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in 2009 for workers with college degrees was 4.6 percent. However, the unemployment rate for those without a degree was nearly 10 percent higher.

Ben Zufelt, a senior communication major from St. George, enrolled at Dixie State University to obtain a bachelor’s degree after losing his construction job.

“I don’t think work experience is enough,” Zufelt said. ”You have to show you took the time to get an education. It shows you’re determined and dedicated to something.”

The average amount of student loan debt for the class of 2011 was $26,600, according to American Student Assistance. Mike Olson, director of academic advisement, said the price is worth it.

“I really think a degree is worth the cost,” Olson said. “You’re paying tuition for four or five years, but you’re being paid at a higher rate for 40 or more years.”

According to howtoedu.org, a person with a bachelor’s degree will earn nearly $1 million more over the course of 40 years than a person with a high school diploma.

Students obtain degrees for multiple reasons, and they’re not always money motivated. Olson said some students get their degree for self-fulfillment or to set an example to their children.

“The worth of a degree could be monetary, it could be financial, but I think, in a lot of ways, hanging a degree on a wall and looking at it is a constant reminder of past success,” Olson said.

A degree is worth every penny and the things you can gain from higher education are invaluable, Olson said.

“I think it can do a lot for someone who down the road may be struggling,” Olson said. “To look back at your degree and think, ‘At one point in my life I was able to overcome a lot of obstacles and obtain something I really wanted.’”

Lana Lichfield, a sophomore communication major from Hurricane, is pursuing her degree for reasons other than simply making more money.

“I want to learn and get an education,” Lichfield said. “I think a degree says a lot about you. I think it says you can jump through hoops and broaden your mindset.”

Academic Adviser Landen Peterson was raised by a farmer in a small town and was always told to get a degree but wasn’t told why. Now Peterson has completed his bachelor’s degree and is working toward his master’s degree. He now understands why he was told to go to college.

“There are a lot of things that I can do that I didn’t know I could do,” Peterson said. “Education helps you see all the doors you have open and all the opportunities available, and it makes it so you get a gauge of what you’re capable of.”

Dixie State University President Stephen Nadauld announced his retirement Wednesday afternoon to his Dixie State family.

Nadauld plans to stay the remainder of the school year, enjoying his last eight months as president. A committee will be organized to search for a new president to take his place.

“It has been an extraordinarily difficult decision to make emotionally,” Nadauld said.

He said he is retiring because he has some dreams he’d like to fulfill while he still has the chance.

“I have some . . . endeavors I would like to do, and I want to write a couple of books if I can,” Nadauld said. “There’s some things that I really want to do, but I don’t want to leave people I have really grown so fond of.”

Nadauld said he feels as though the construction of the Holland Centennial Commons and the change to university status made him feel more accomplished than he had anticipated.

“I thought, ‘This place can be a university, and we don’t have to lean on anybody else,’” Nadauld said. “‘We can have our own faculty hires, our own Ph.D.s, and we can have our own bachelor’s degrees.’ When I caught that vision, I realized that this was going to exceed any expectation that I had when I came more than five years ago.”

Nadauld said he will spend the next eight months enjoying the time he has left at Dixie.

“These next eight months are going to be fun,” Nadauld said. “I’m going to plan on coming to work every day to have a great time. If there are any tough problems, we’ll just save them for the next president.”

The audience laughed with him as he continued to inform everyone on the timing of his announcement.

“I didn’t want to do it before Homecoming because I didn’t want Homecoming to be about me,” Nadauld said. “I just wanted it to be about the institution.”

Business instructor Bryon Geddes raised his hand when Nadauld asked for questions.

“I hate to make this personal, but it is personal for me,” Geddes said. “I want to honor you as president.”

The entire audience rose for a standing ovation, honoring Nadauld for his Dixie legacy.

The board of regents arrived on campus Nov. 4 to finalize the search committee and begin the process of finding Dixie’s new president.

Nadauld said out of everything he has accomplished at Dixie, he couldn’t have achieved it without his wife, Margaret Nadauld.

“I could not have come here and handled this assignment without her 100 percent support…” Nadauld said. “We’ve had an enormous amount of love for this institution and for this city.”

Nadauld and his wife are planning on moving to Heber, but they have expectations of moving back to St. George for the winter season.

Margaret Nadauld said they are most excited about having more quality time with family.

“We’re just going to spend even more time with our children than we’ve been able to do the last six years,” Margaret Nadauld said. “That means a lot to us. We have 29 grandchildren to watch over, love and go to their games.”

She also said she feels more content than excited about this change because she has fully enjoyed her experiences with the Dixie institution.

“I’ve loved every minute of it—I really have,” she said. “We haven’t had a family at home, so I’ve personally put everything into it. It’s been what has filled my spare time, and it has been my interest. I have really enjoyed promoting the college and the community. I’m going to miss that.”

She said out of everything she and her husband have been through, her biggest advice to students is to love the college life.

“Be sure to take full advantage of this period of time when you’re in college,” she said. “Make the most of it because it’s one of the most glorious times of your life. When you’re mostly free of responsibilities, all you have to do is develop your skills. Take advantage of every opportunity you can find while you’re in college.”

Ubisoft has taken a new turn with its “Assassin’s Creed” saga, and the newest game left me pining for the older versions.

“Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” was released Oct. 29 and follows the tale of pirate-turned-assassin Edward James Kenway as he infiltrates the Templar order in search of treasure. Like the rest of the “Assassin’s Creed” games, this one is also based on historical facts and figures.

The game is played as a set of ancestral memories in a machine called the Animus. In earlier games, the Animus was a glorified table with a head piece that was made to access the memories in test subjects. Now it’s a computer.

That’s not the only difference from the earlier games that left me squirming a little bit — and not in a good way. The whole purpose of the machine and the company that built it has changed, too. Abstergo, the company responsible for the creation of the Animus, used to be slated as a pharmaceutical company. Of course, you find out through the games Abstergo had ulterior motives in creating the Animus and accessing people’s memories. I love the storyline because it gives a second level of conflict to the series that complements the conflicts involved in the memories you play.

Now, Abstergo is shown as an entertainment company researching these memories for video games and movies.

In contrast to the modern-day storyline of Abstergo, the historical plot is as amazing as I always expect from the folks at Ubisoft because the previous games have followed similar plots.

Between the storyline and side missions like assassinations and treasure hunting, there is so much to do that in eight hours, I only managed to get about 5 percent of the game under my belt.

Of course, if you’re not as interested in side missions as I am, the game can go fairly quickly by following the markers for the main story.

The main story takes you through Havana, Kingston and Nassau as well as the open seas. The game is easy to follow with a miniature map and destination markers present at all times, which make it perfect for any skill level.

I was glad to see such an intricate storyline to this game because it made it easier to accept the lower quality of graphics. At times, it felt similar to an older game like “Fable” or the original “Dead Rising.” Characters glitch and twitch when killed, and the scenery gets in the way if you’re trying to view something at just the wrong angle. However, I’m willing to let that slide because of the immense story and space.

Just like any game rated “M for Mature,” this game is not suited for children due to its violence and some profanity, but neither aspect is overbearing.

Rating this game is tough, so I’ll give it two ratings. The graphics deserve a rating of 2.5 out of 5 suns because they do still have so many old-school glitches. However, the historical storyline deserves 5 out of 5 suns for being well thought-out and just as expansive and accurate as I’ve grown to expect from the “Assassin’s Creed” games.

Is there a game you’d like me to review? Tweet me your recommendations and requests at @techsass.

Setting flames to popular music since 2003, Arcade Fire has came close to transcending music before.

In promoting “Reflektor,” Arcade Fire played its fourth album’s songs in disguise and over an entire ‘50s movie about Brazilian Carnival. With such a diverse collection, doing any less would have crammed the tunes uncomfortably into the minds of listeners when they should be open for just about any interpretation.

All of “Reflektor” hits like its title track. With bilingual verses and a quick, disco-dotted refrain, the song seems to reach its peak three minutes in. But the saxophones and a David Bowie cameo filter between the guitar riff and driving drum kicks to push everything forward. The result is a seven-minute song with high levels of momentum.

Like listening to calypso while running a marathon on a course with diverse terrain, the album is long and includes just one consistency: an infusion of island music.

The Clash, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon all gravitated toward foreign sounds at definitive points in their careers. The Clash did so when following up one of the greatest albums in rock music, “London Calling.” Dylan’s “Desire,” released in 1976, came a decade after his best work and wasn’t considered great. The takeaway here is when arriving at make-or-break moments, these acts relied on the unknown to lift their music to different levels, and Arcade Fire is no different.

Unlike Dylan or The Clash’s efforts, Arcade Fire’s implementation of slaphappy bass and reggae-inspired synths isn’t forced. Tracks three and four, “Flashbulb Eyes” and “Here Comes the Night Time,” evoke the greatest dancehall themes and motifs. The album’s shortest song, “Flashbulb Eyes,” includes a horn section that acts as the mist over an eerie, ocean-side scape. A simple beat follows, and with manic guitar picking, the instrumental darts in so many directions all that’s constant are slow acoustic strums.

“Here Comes the Night Time” acts as the album’s focal point in more ways than one.

Streaming “Reflektor” over “Black Orpheus,” one of the aforementioned promotions, the songs fit the plot in such a strange way. At the beginning, the main actor and actress dodge each other and the expectations that come with their eminent love affair at great costs to their happiness. She sees him on the crowded, shoddy city streets and droops her head as if it’s a method of stunting her frantic heart. His eyebrows shift like his life goals and aspirations may if he pursues the relationship.

Stubborn sides prevail until “Here Comes the Night Time” plays and lifts the daunting expectations from both the characters and “Reflektor” as a whole. They dance, watch the sun’s reflection cast upon the ocean, and participate in Carnival’s frantic events until the surprising end. What follows the album’s most important song is a mesh of every creative turn Arcade Fire has taken since its debut a decade ago.

“Normal Person,” a sleazy, sinister rocker, reeks of T. Rex if frontman Marc Bolan regretted his every move. Both “Joan of Arc” and “Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)” include the balances of Radiohead-like experimentation and golden age rock elements that made “The Suburbs” a success. Fortunately, despite constant evolution, the band keeps its best qualities.

It’s closer to the album’s beginning—before “Here Comes the Night Time” even, when reggae beats alleviate all tension—that Butler utters these words on “We Exist”: “They’re walking around, head full of sound/acting like we don’t exist.” The listener will wonder who could foolishly question such a driving force of ‘00s popular music’s existence. Doing so is like imagining one of the lovers from “Black Orpheus” without the other.

It is Arcade Fire’s existence that has created more stellar music since its 2003 debut than any act but Kanye West. Technology crafted, comment section-discussed music and Arcade Fire have been intertwined like two souls meant to exist in the same realm for the longest time, and “Reflektor” only makes this bond stronger.

Final Rating: Four-and-a-half out of Five Suns