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Innovative MSU programs tap into students’ potential to lead. |
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Montana State University student Michael Edwards talks during a presentation by MSU Leadership students. |
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Innovative MSU programs tap into students’ potential to lead. |
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Montana State University student Michael Edwards talks during a presentation by MSU Leadership students. |
By Duncan Williamson
If you’re on a tight budget, the Contour Roam is the way to go. With a few different trim levels, it can do most of the necessary technical things you will need as a beginner. The best part about the Contour is you can find it for discounted prices.
In the end, it is up to you, but my suggestion would be a Contour for the beginning action filmmaker, and a GoPro for the next Red Bull athlete.
Now let’s shoot. As YouTube videos attest, the first-person view is popular. With a simple chest or helmet mount, you can capture awesome footage that will make you feel like you’re right there doing it when you watch it. Don’t stick too much to one type of shot. Get creative with the mounts. Find cool angles and interesting ways to capture the action. And don’t be afraid to poach ideas from other videos – copying styles you like is good practice and will teach you what you like and don’t like, which is integral to developing your own unique style.
Resources:
GoPro YouTube Page
2014 has arrived, and chances are you’ve made a resolution or two for the coming year. Whether it be better grades, losing weight, or finding better relationships, it’s a great time to make those changes you’ve been putting off until now. Problem is, though, many fail to keep those resolutions. Fear not; we’ve compiled a few tips for keeping those resolutions as you head into the new semester.
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The “drinking more than everyone else” resolution should be reconsidered. |
Don’t expect to completely reinvent yourself.
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“I passed Econ!” |
Keep the resolutions reasonable.
Ambition certainly isn’t a bad thing; it’s what keeps our world moving forward. Sometimes, though, we overestimate ourselves as we set our resolutions, and feel the sting of failure when they don’t work out. Carefully consider what you think is within your power to accomplish. Instead of shooting for bench-pressing 400 pounds by the end of the year when you have yet to break 200, pick a goal inbetween. Besides, if you surpass what you expected to do, soldier forward and you might just accomplish what you never thought you could.
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Slow and steady for reaching those resolutions, don’t go overboard. |
With all of that in mind, here are some helpful articles for common New Years resolutions:
Weight Loss
Shedding Those Winter Pounds
Working Out for Credit
Avoiding the “Freshman 15″
Improving Grades
Senior Advice
Frugal Use of Money
Frugal Fun
Jobs/Careers
Start Now for a Future Career
Bozeman-Area Careers
Do you have any tips for keeping resolutions? Let us know in the comment section.
by Christine Rogel
Why Bridger gets so much snow.
Every so often, a blue light flashes on top of the Baxter Hotel, alerting anyone within view of the tallest building in Bozeman that snow is falling at Bridger Bowl. The light—a repurposed airport runway strobe that flashes for 24 hours when the ski area receives at least two inches of snow—was installed in 1988 and played an important role before the era of the Internet. It’s related to an isolated weather phenomenon affectionately called the BBC, or Bridger Bowl Cloud,which descends like a blanket over the east-central Bridger Mountains and leaves behind a prodigious amount of snow.
“Because of the BBC, we’d get these isolated snowstorms and get a bunch of snow in the mountains, but nothing was going on in town, so people wouldn’t know,” says Doug Wales, marketing director for Bridger Bowl. “So in the ‘olden days,’ the flashing blue light is how people would become aware it was snowing at Bridger.”
According to Eric Knoff, an avalanche specialist with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, the BBC is a “sneaker” and can drop up to 36 inches of snow at Bridger, while only one or two inches end up in town. Don’t be fooled by the clouds pouring over the ridgeline and seeping into the valley—the true BBC is the one that drops loads of snow,” says Knoff.
It’s hard to predict when the mysterious cloud and its revered powder-pouring abilities will occur, but January tends to be a good month for the cloud. During some seasons, the BBC appears half a dozen times, and during others only once or twice, according to Knoff. Last season, despite the thick cloud that frequently obstructed the view of the mountains from town, there was only one cycle of the BBC, when a white blanket fell over the mountain and the Bridgers saw 30 inches of snow in just a few days. It’s times like these, says Knoff, laughing, that “Big Sky has BBC envy.”
The BBC’s beloved snow load is actually not caused by a cloud at all, but rather a weather event called “upslope precipitation,” says Megan Vandenheuvel, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Great Falls. The snow starts to fall when a cold, moist northwestern air flow moves through the canyon and is forced upward by the unique geography of the mountains, creating precipitation in the higher elevations.
Regardless of how it forms or what it’s called, the BBC and its isolated snow showers are, at least in part, responsible for the current location of Bridger Bowl. The weather pattern was considered when the ski area moved from its lower elevation at Bear Canyon in the mid-1950s. It’s a unique phenomenon related to the particular geography of the mountains, and interest in the “cloud” is representative of the enthusiasm locals have for the landscape and the outdoors.
Even in a tough economy, employers say they are hiring. But students need to be well versed in their abilities to be competitive. Generally speaking, MSU students are highly qualified for jobs due to their work ethic, trustworthiness, and academic training. By planning ahead, gaining valuable internship and work experience, and putting together a competitive application package, students can get the jobs they want when the time comes.
Dogs
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Birds also claim the “Most Stylish Pet” award. |
Reptiles, Fish, and Amphibians
Even if you’re staying in the residence halls, reptiles and fish are an option. Since a tank is even more contained than a cage, most landlords will be okay with a scaly/slimy friend joining your new home. They may all be interesting animals to watch and always look cool, but unlike mammalian and bird pets, these animals will never come to be loving or affectionate. Reptiles also can carry salmonella, so be sure to buy from a reputable pet store.
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Who says reptiles can’t be cute too? |
Something else to consider about reptiles would be their long lifespan: If you plan to travel after graduating, you may have a lizard or turtle that still has decades to live, so be prepared to make accommodations.
Pocket Pets
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Why are people afraid of these things again? |
1. Cleanliness is a concept lost on your roommate. Your roommate’s personal area looks like a jungle, with clothes and junk everywhere. The botany department stopped by last week to take samples.
2. “Can I borrow everything?” You come home to find your mountain bike covered in mud, your best shirt missing, and your razor covered in hair.
by Sarah Canfield
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A great workout accompanied by good friends and loud music. |
I’d heard of taking skiing, snowboarding, billiards, and bowling for credit and wondered if this list of “activity” classes offered any high endurance courses. After a quick search on the montana.edu webpage, I found a list of 16 activities courses, ranging from Beginning Yoga to 5/10K Race Training. Scanning the list, Power Cycling – Indoors caught my eye. My hobbies include sports like skiing, trail running, hiking, and yoga, so having strong stable legs is essential. I thought, “What better way to prepare for a powder day at Bridger Bowl, while receiving MSU credit, than with a mandatory cycling class?”
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After a year of cycling class I was ready to take on Granite Peak. |
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Soak it up at Norris Hot Springs |
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Your Yoga studio |
High-octane activities such as skiing, hiking, running, biking, and surfing have always been my idea of exercise. Growing up playing hockey and ski racing made me avoid any kind of meditation or mindfulness at all cost. Past yoga experiences always found the clock capturing my attention more than the exercise, thinking about anything but the stretch, the pose, or the breathing. No talking? For an entire hour? No thanks. Yoga has always seemed a new-age fad—a cop-out for actually exercising. Then one of my girlfriends proposed a challenge: a different activity every month for a year, with October’s activity being yoga.
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Yoga can strengthen your ski legs |
Yoga improves joint and muscular flexibility, which is imperative for the body’s overall health. Enhanced joint and muscle pliancy translates to greater range of motion, which in turn, decreases the chance of an overuse injury.
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Improve your body and mind |
The physical benefits of yoga for the athlete are huge, but they’re nothing in comparison to the more abiding benefits. Most people, particularly athletes, tend to think of yoga as boring. Everyone at MSUis busy and if another activity is added to the schedule, it better be worth it. In order to benefit from yoga, one must commit to the hour they are practicing. Others, mostly non-athletes, think of yoga as a way to tighten the core, flatten the stomach, and tone that butt. Sure, it does that, but so can many other exercises,right?