Eight different types of chili soup were the means of a tasty fundraiser.

SDSU’s Habitat for Humanity chapter hosted a chili cook-off at the Pius XII Newman Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15 in order to raise funds for a mission trip and for the house they plan to build in Brookings.

“I wanted to make this a competition to get more people involved,” said Andrew Lacey, organizer of the event and the chapter’s missions chairman.

Habitat for Humanity built a house last year in Brookings and plans to build another this spring.

“We need about $10,000 to complete the build in Brookings and if each SDSU student donated $3, we could have the house paid for,” Lacey said.

More than 30 people showed up to support the cause, and three judges picked the top three chilies.

“I just came to check out the food and to donate to a good cause,” said SDSU student Eric Hultgren.

People were allowed to walk through and look at the different choices before settling on which chili they would like to try.

Takara Hrdlicka prepared the number-seven chili.

“I actually know someone who lives in a Habitat for Humanity house. I saw how great it was for his family, so I wanted to help build this house,” Hrdlicka said.

Although Hrdlicka’s chili didn’t win, it wasn’t because it wasn’t unique.

“I got the recipe from a Richard Simmons cookbook. There’s zucchini, yellow squash, liquid smoke and Killian’s Irish Red in this chili.”

The chili that took away the grand prize was Lacey’s mom’s recipe.

“Believe me, I had nothing to do with that,” Lacey said.

SDSU’s Habitat for Humanity is also selling discount cards. The cards cost $10 each, and offer discounts to places like Perkins, Cover to Cover and Ritz Hair Studio & Day Spa.

For more information, check out SDSU’s Habitat for Humanity Facebook group.

Engagement rings.

Drunken nights.

Relationships.

Many SDSU students share the sidewalks with a classmate, roommate or friend who has either gotten married or gotten engaged.

So, what does this mean to them and their friends?

Is there a war between single people and people who are engaged, married or in a relationship?

Senior Kelly Maser said, “The only good thing about being single is being able to go hunting without having any complaints.”

With every aspect in life there are pros and cons. For every pro about being in a relationship, someone will be able to produce a con.

Becky Lambert, an engaged senior, said, “There’s a lot more to being engaged than a big sparkly ring. The level of give and take increases and your life changes.”

Whether people are in a relationship, engaged or married, their views will be completely different on what it was like to be single.

“You don’t have to answer to anyone when you’re single,” Taylor Wilson, a pre-med major, said.

Men are often more adept at being able to find the cons in relationships, but occasionally they have very moving and heartfelt pros.

“Being in a relationship means having a best friend for life,” Maser said.

Senior Lindsay Willette, who is engaged, said, “Being engaged, you are living as a couple, not as a single person. By that, I mean you think, act and make decisions based on what is right for you as a couple.”

However people want to look at marriage, there will always be hardships, tribulations and hoops to jump through. In the end, it matters most what you choose to do with your life.

To drink or not to drink?

That’s no question for freshman Ashley Harkness.

Harkness decided not to drink when she was in middle school. She has stayed true to her decision.

“I have just seen some of the negative side effects,” Harkness said.

And she doesn’t plan to go out for drinks on her 21st birthday, either.

“I’ll drink socially on special occasions and my wedding, after I turn 21,” Harkness said.

Harkness says her friends and fianc

Ani Difranco, guitarist and singer, will perform in Minneapolis, Minn., April 22, at Cedar Cultural Center. The show is sold out, but not to worry. Her new live album, entitled “Ani Difranco Carnegie Hall 4.06.02,” hit shelves April 4.

This live album features nothing but a guitar and Difranco’s cutting- edge voice. Her singing is truly like something most have never heard.

This album was recorded on April 6, 2002, just seven months after the September 11 terrorist attacks. She was speaking to an audience of New Yorkers who had been breathing in the toxic air outside and dealing with their own personal feelings of loss and grief.

At the time of the recording, “Self Evident” was titled “Work in Progress.”

Excerpts from “Self Evident:” (editor’s note: lyrics appear as written on album cover) Yes, us people are just poems we’re 90% metaphor with a leanness of meaning approaching hyper-distillation and once upon a time we were moonshine rushing down the throat of a giraffe … yes, rushing down the long stairs with the whiskey of eternity fermented and distilled to eighteen minutes burning down our throats down the hall down the stairs in a building so tall … on the day that america fell to its knees after strutting around for a century without saying thank you or please and the shock was subsonic and the smoke was deafening between the setup and the punch line cuz we were all on time for work that day we all boarded that plane for to fly and then while the fires were raging we all climbed up on the windowsill and then we all held hands and jumped into the sky and every borough looked up when it heard the first blast … to participate in some prep school punk’s plan to perpetuate retribution … even as the blue toxic smoke of our lesson in retribution is still hanging in the air and there’s ash on our shoes and there’s ash in our hair and there’s a fine silt on every mantle from hell’s kitchen to brooklyn and the streets are full of stories sudden twists and near misses … so here’s a toast to all the folks who live in palestine Afghanistan Iraq El salvador here’s a toast to the folks living on the pine ridge reservation under the stone cold gaze of mt. Rushmore here’s a toast to all those nurses and doctors who daily provide women with a choice who stand down a threat the size of oklahoma City just to listen to a young woman’s voice … cuz take away our playstations and we are a third world nation under the thumb of some blue blood royal son who stole the oval office and that phony election I mean it don’t take a weatherman To look around and see the weather Jeb said he’d deliver Florida, folks and boy did he ever and we hold these truths to be self-evident #1 George W. Bush is not president #2 America is not a true democracy #3 The media is not fooling me cuz I am a poem heeding hyper-distillation I’ve got no room for a lie so verbose I’m looking out over my whole human family and I’m raising my glass in a toast here’s to our last drink of fossil fuels let us vow to get off this sauce shoo away the swarms of commuter planes … and then standing out on the platform and feeling the air on my face give back the night its distant whistle give the darkness back its soul give the big oil companies the finger finally and relearn how to rock-n-roll yes, the lessons are all around us and a change is waiting there so it’s time to pick through the rubble, clean the streets and clear the air get our government to pull its big dick out of the sand of someone else’s desert put it back in its pants and quit the hypocritical chants of freedom forever cuz when on telephone rang in two thousand and one at ten after nine one nine after nine on nine one one which is the number we all called when the lone phone rang right off the wall right off our desk and down the long hall down the long stairs in a building so tall that the whole world turned just to watch it fall … committing countless crimes against humanity with this kind of eventuality as its excuse for abuse after expensive abuse and it didn’t have a clue look, another window to see through way up here on the 104th floor look another key another door 10% literal 90% metaphor 3000 some poems disguised as people on an almost too perfect day should be more that pawns in some asshole’s passion play so now it’s your job and it’s my job to make it that way to make sure they didn’t die in vain sshhhhhh? baby listen hear the train?

-Ani Difranco

“I will always remember this performance of ‘Self Evident’ as being one of the most intense moments I have ever experienced on stage … ” said Difranco, in Buffalo, N.Y. on Jan. 15, 2006.

To be honest, I was not impressed with this album. But when I came across the words to track 14, “Self Evident,” I was full of admiration for her. I would suggest buying this album. Her words would make anyone think, whether they agree with what she said or not. She put her heart on the line for her beliefs, and I have nothing but respect for her.

VH1 has been broadcasting “I Love the ’80s” for over a year now. I have not actually seen the show, but I thought that it was a really cool idea to research what happened in the 1980s. A lot of students were born in the 1980s, as were a lot of products, fads and great movies.

1980 ? Post-it notes were first introduced by 3M ? The summer Olympics were held in Moscow ? The US hockey team beat Russia in the Winter Olympics ? John Lennon, The Beatles, was assassinated ? Ronald Reagan was President ? Mount St. Helen’s erupted ? CNN started ? Bill Gates licensed MS-DOS to IBM

Movies ?”Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” ? “Superman 2″ ? “Nine to Five” ? “Stir Crazy” ? “Airplane!” ? “Coal Miner’s Daughter” ? “Private Benjamin” ? “Smokey and the Bandit” ? “The Shining”

1981 ? Columbia, the spaceship, launched ?The pope was shot by a Turkish man ? Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court ? Princess Diana and Prince Charles married ? “Dynasty” made its debut on primetime television ? Ketchup attempted to become a vegetable ? August brought the birth of MTV, the 24-hour music channel ? PAC-MAN hit the US ? Assassination attempt on President Reagan

Movies ? “Porkey’s” ? “On Golden Pond” ? “For Your Eyes Only” ? “Chariots of Fire”

1982 ? “Thriller,” by Michael Jackson sold millions of albums ? At a concert, Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a live bat ?Princess Grace, of Monaco, died in a tragic accident ? Liposuction was introduced ? The Vietnam memorial was erected in Washington, D.C.

Movies ? “E.T.”? “Tootsie” ? “An Officer and a Gentleman” ? “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” ? “Annie”? “Poltergeist” ? “The Verdict”

1983? The Cabbage Patch Kids were introduced ? “Star Wars” hit theaters ? Karen Carpenter, The Carpenters, died of anoroxia ? Sally Ride became the first woman to go into space ? CDs were first introduced ? Camcorders were introduced

Movies ? “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” ? “Terms of Endearment” ? “Trading Places” ? “Octopussy” ? “Mr. Mom” ? “Risky Business”

1984? “The Cosby Show” appeared on television ? Gandhi was assassinated ? Stone-washed jeans made the kids go wild ? Mary Lou Retton won six medals at the Olympics ?Vanessa Williams, Miss America, was forced to give up her crown because of old nude photos that surfaced

Movies ? “Ghost Busters” ? “Beverly Hills Cop” ? “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” ? “Gremlins” ? “The Karate Kid” ? “Police Academy” ? “Footloose” ? “Purple Rain”

1985 ? Billy Joel married Christie Brinkley ? Earthquake in Mexico ? Volcano eruption in Columbia ? Crack-cocaine became popular ? Titanic wreckage found ? Nintendo was introduced ? Lead fuel was banned ? Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame opened

Movies ? “Back to the Future” ? “The Color Purple” ? “Cocoon” ? “The Goonies” ? “Breakfast Club”

1986 ? Challenger exploded ? Haley’s Comet appeared ? The Statue of Liberty celebrated her 100th birthday ? Arnold Schwarzenegger married Maria Shriver ? Oprah Winfrey Show began ? America celebrated the first Martin Luther King Jr. day ? Supermodel Gia died of AIDS

Movies ? “Top Gun” ? “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” ? “Platoon”

1987 ? Stock Market dropped by 22% ? Condom commercials appeared on television ? US budget reached the trillion- dollar mark ? Bruce Willis and Demi Moore married ? Global population reached five billion

Movies ? “Three Men and a Baby” ? “Fatal Attraction” ? “Moonstruck” ? “Good Morning, Vietnam” ? “Leathal Weapon” ? “The Witches of Eastwick”

1988 ? Prozac was introduced ? Sonny Bono became mayor of Palm Springs, Florida ? Fires in Yellowstone National Park

Movies ? “Cocktail” ? “Die Hard” ? “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad” ? “Oliver and Company” ? “Rain Man” ? “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” ? “Big” ? “Twins”

1989 ? The Berlin Wall fell ? Protesters killed in Tiananmen Square ? “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” became an instant hit ? Rob Lowe was in a porn with an underage girl ? The Menendez brothers were accused of murdering their parents ? Milli Vanilli won a Grammy, but is later stripped after it is found that they lip-synched ? Colin Powell became a Joint Chief of Staff

Movies? “Batman” ? “Lethal Weapon 2″ ? “Look Who’s Talking” ? “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” ? “The Little Mermaid” ? “Parenthood”

Fads of the ’80′s ? Jelly shoes ? Popples ? Slap bracelets ? Wacky wallwalker ? Rubik’s cube ? Boom boxes ? Break dancing ? Friendship bracelets ? Smurfs ? Koosh balls ? Hacky-sack ? Trivial Pursuit ? Vans shoes ? Lace fingerless gloves, thanks to Madonna ? Tetherball ? “Miami Vice” fashion ? “Rainbow Brite” ? “Strawberry Shortcake” ? “He-Man” ? “Care Bears”

Lynn Verschoor, the director of the South Dakota Art Museum, took time out of her very busy schedule to talk about the South Dakota Art Museum, her role at the museum and the exhibits that will take place.

Verschoor started at the museum in 1999 as the director. When she started, the museum had been closed for one year for restorations. The museum opened again in 2000, after a $1.8 million expansion. The expansion included the gift store, another exhibit room and storage for the museum’s 6,500 collection pieces.

The museum is affiliated with SDSU, but does not receive funding from them. The $1.8 million for the expansion was donated from private investors with the exception of a few small grants. This money covered the actual building, but not any of the furniture or the moveable walls. The money for the furniture and moveable walls had to be donated, as well.

One of Verschoor’s main jobs is to write grants in order to be able to purchase things for the museum. Recently, she wrote and received money from a grant enabling the museum to purchase specially-made cabinets for their collections. Through grant money, the museum has also been able to purchase picture hangers.

Harvey Dunn was a student at SDSU in 1901, when the college was known as the South Dakota Agriculture College. He studied drawing and met Professor Ada B. Caldwell, who encouraged him to enroll at the Chicago Art Institute.

In 1950, Harvey Dunn donated 42 original paintings to SDSU. Women from the group General Federation of Women’s Clubs sold Dunn reproductions for over 15 years to raise a small amount of money to get the museum on people’s minds. Finally, the South Dakota Art Museum opened in 1970, to house the Dunn collection. To date, the museum has 107 original works by Dunn. Dunn’s paintings show women as strong, hard-working individuals. He has a great knack for making his paintings jump off the canvas and affect the on-looker.

The museum rotates exhibits and typically gets 12 to 17 new exhibits every year. Currently, the museum is showing: “The American Flag in Native American Art”

At the end of the nineteenth century, Native Americans from many different tribes used flag imagery as a design element in their art, clothing, and crafts. While some of these objects were produced for sale or exchange with European Americans, there is compelling evidence that many of these artifacts were used, worn, and treasured by Native Americans themselves. This exhibit explores different types of American flag imagery used in Native American art. This collection will be on display until Aug. 6, 2006.

“The Marghab Collection”

An amazing array of the legacy of the Marghab Linen collection will be displayed in this extraordinary exhibit. On view are different styles of Marghab’s embroidery patterns. This compilation of linens is a broad example of what the South Dakota Art Museum’s permanent collection has to offer.

“William Thielen: One Step Closer”

William Thielen feels his work is about looking for emotional truth in a post-modern world. He says that when creating pictorial or sculptural objects, it is risky to trust the intuitive nature of emotions and the intellectual information that came from observation. To overcome this risk, he works in the language of abstraction. Thielen creates tension through his works by thrusting opposites together. Viewers must work through metaphorical language to find the truth in the works in order to resolve this tension.

“South Dakota Art Museum Collection”

The South Dakota Art Museum has over 6,000 works in its permanent collection. Visitors will have a chance to take a look inside that collection with this exhibit that will showcase works selected by the Museum’s staff.

“South Dakota Artist Series”

Marian Henjum-Watercolors: Marian Henjum views her artistic abilities as a gift. She says she is an artist because her body and soul want and need to portray what she sees and share with others. Henjum works mainly in watercolor and reveals that she is inspired by her surroundings and uses the elements of design, line, shape, color, texture and form to create semi-abstract interpretations of what she sees.

Jerry Hauck-Wood Creations:

Jerry Hauck primarily works with wood as his medium of choice. He designs and assembles one-of-a-kind organic, freeform furniture and sculptures. The pieces he creates are sculptural, retain the nature of the wood, and are effective as furniture.

The South Dakota Artist Series enables viewers to see and purchase art. This is a good way for artists to show the work and to make a little money at the same time. Marian Henjum and Jerry Hauck will be at the artists’ reception on April 28 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. with a chance to meet the artists at 5:30 p.m.

Lynn Verschoor does a program called “Growth Thru Art,” which is a six-week program for developmentally disabled adults. She has been doing this program for six years and says “it’s just so much fun.” She works closely with Advance.

“Disabilities dissolve away and what’s left is really enthusiastic artists?it’s magic,” said Verschoor.

“We try to highlight regional artists,” said Verschoor. The art museum’s gift shop is littered with great gifts created by artists from the state of South Dakota. There are amazing finds and everything is fairly affordable on a college budget.

The museum also has international merchandise for sale. Zeno Wicks, a plant science professor, will often buy things on his international travels and then donate them to the museum. The museum then sells the merchandise in the international section of the gift shop. The gift shop, managed by Pam Adler, has seen sales increase by 111 percent.

The museum has an excellent group of volunteers, who enable the museum to accomplish many things.

The Bamboo Orchestra will give a public performance on Friday, March 31, at 8 p.m. Makoto Yabuki founded the Bamboo Orchestra in 1994, they are based out of Japan and France. The ensemble participated in the 1998 Fifth World Bamboo Conference in Costa Rica. The Bamboo Orchestra plays a unique palette of more than twenty bamboo intruments of Japan and Asia. As described by the group, bamboo music transcends all ethnic identities, personalities, and multitudes of music knowledge and genres when listeners face the bamboo and its resonating sound. The Bamboo Orchestra’s performance will be at the Performing Arts Center, admission is free for SDSU students.

Information from the South Dakota Art Museum Newsletter was used in this article.

#1.884578:1786569456.jpg:artmuseum01_th.jpg:The South Dakota Art museum is located at Medary Ave. at Harvey Dunn St.:

Eight Below is a real tear-jerker. Paul Walker (“Joy Ride”) and Jason Biggs (“American Pie” series) deliver compelling performances as guides working in Antarctica.

Gerry (Paul Walker) takes scientists to explore in Antarcitca. To travel, Gerry uses six Siberian huskies and two malamutes to pull the sled and the scientists.

Gerry, a scientist, and the eight dogs go on a search for a rock. Along the way, they encounter several obstacles.

On their way home, they have a run-in and the good scientist obtains a few injuries. The group returns safely to base-camp, but is forced to leave due to a thunderous storm headed their way. There isn’t enough room for the dogs to come along, and Gerry hesitantly ties them up outside and promises to come right back for all of them.

Sadly, the storm is larger than expected and no planes are allowed to fly back. Despite Gerry’s attempts to convince people to fly back, he is forced to leave the dogs. The big question is will the dogs survive an Antarctic winter alone?

The one concern I have with the movie is the Leopard Seal graphics. I assure, I looked up what the Leopard Seal looks like and they were correct. However, the animation was not very realistic.

This is a Disney movie, but don’t let that fool you. I never cry at movies, not even the Notebook, but I cried throughout this entire movie. This movie keeps you guessing and crying until the very end.

Disney hit created another masterpiece with this movie. I’m sure that it will be an instant classic. If not for having gorgeous Paul Walker in it, then for having eight beautiful dogs as the main characters.

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers will perform at Skinner’s Pub on March 20 at 9:30 p.m.

The group’s music has been described as rock with a little taste of the South.

Roger Clyne is the vocalist, songwriter and guitarist for the group. Clyne, a former member of The Refreshments, had two songs top the charts in 1995, “Banditos” and “Down Together.”.

The Refreshments performed and wrote the “King of the Hill” theme song, as well

P.H. Naffah is the group’s drummer. Clyne describes him as the “calmest, low maintenance guy I know.”

Steve Larson is the group’s lead guitarist. He describes himself as a “pissed-off suburban troublemaker from a broken home.”

Nick Scrops in the group’s bass guitarist.

According to the Arizona Republic, “A show by Tempe-based Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers is always a party … Clyne is a terrific showman, blessed with a charisma that few are born with. Add to that his sharp songwriting skills and a crack band comprised of drummer P.H. Naffah, guitarist Steve Larson and bassist Nick Scropos, and you’re guaranteed to have a good time.”

Opening for the group is Taylor Hollingsworth. He is a new, bright face on the music scene. Hollingsworth mixes “country with garage stomp,” according to Paste magazine.

The show is a 21-and-over show. Tickets can be purchased beforehand at Skinner’s Pub for $8 and $10 on the night of the show. Everyone attending the show will receive a free copy of “Live at Billy Bob’s,” the group’s latest release.

Looking for something fun and free to do on the weekend? Try driving the approximate 45 minutes to Watertown to see the Redlin Art Center.

Terry Redlin’s original paintings are displayed in an amazing building complete with marble floors and chandeliers.

More than 100 original Redlin paintings are displayed on three floors of the Redlin Center.

Sketches enable center viewers to see how Redlin has grown over the years. For example, the center includes sketches that Redlin did at age 6. Even at a young age, Redlin had a knack for capturing movement and real life.

In the basement of the center, an amphitheater, plays three different movies. One of is a chat with Terry Redlin himself. He described his change from commercial art to the paintings he is famous for today.

I don’t claim to know much about art, but I must say that anyone that can hold my attention for three floors must be an amazing artist. If you venture to Watertown, keep your eye out for a painting that resembles Norman Rockwell. The painting is spectacular.

Redlin attended the St. Paul School of Associated Arts. Upon graduating, Redlin worked in the commercial art industry for more than 20 years.

A group from The Black Student Alliance will be performing at the Volstorff Ballroom on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Three other groups will be performing with the SDSU steppin’ group. Iowa State Marching Drill Team &Cyclone Steps, University of Nebraska Omaha’s Phi Beta Sigma, University of Nebraska Omaha’s Zeta Phi Beta, and Universit of Nebraska Lincoln’s Alpha Phi Alpha.

Step dancing originated in Africa and has grown by leaps and bounds. Step Dancing is huge at universities in the south, said Rozhyer Aware, Coordinator for Multicultural Programs.

Step dancing is comprised of hip-hop moves, military moves and stomping, all to a hip hop beat

According to Aware it is unique that SDSU has a step-dancing group because it is not common in this region.

The idea behind having the event in February is that it is Black History Month. The goal of the performance is to “educate and culture students,” said Aware.

Group members are comprised of Native Americans, Hispanics, and African American SDSU students. Members practice daily.

James Epps, a Business Economics major, said “everybody needs to go (to the show).” Epps said the goal of the event is to “diversify SDSU.”

After the show on Saturday the Black student Alliance will be sponsoring a hip-hop dance social at the Volstroff Ballroom, admission is free.