Oct. 29, 2012 - South Plains College

Plainsman Press
South Plains College
Vol. 55 • Issue 4 • October 29, 2012
1401 S. College Ave. • Levelland, Texas
Former victim of Internet
abduction, Alicia Kozakiewicz,
discusses the importance of
online safety.
Author Dick Wall recounts trials and
tribulations, healing through faith.
Nightmare on 19th Street
celebrates annual Halloween
spectacle.
see Spotlight,
page 18
see page 10
see page 7
Scholarships give prospective students opportunity for higher education
by ERICA SMITH
staff writer
this new direction for SPC, he
became enthusiastic and decided that the new scholarship
endowment should aid students
in this program.
The Wests are supportive
of SPC in particular because,
“They like what we do, and they
think we do it well,” says Gerstenberger.
Another donor, Helen Roberts of Levelland, recently created the Larry Roberts Honorary
Physical Education Scholarship
Scholarships have underestimated effects on South Plains
College.
Many new scholarships
have been established this year
that will be available to SPC students in the future. These scholarships are helping improve the
lives of college students.
Donors understand the influence of higher education and
are inspiring people in the
community to support
this cause and the future
of the next generation.
Ray and Donna West
recently established their
sixth scholarship endowment, which is for preengineering students. It
will be awarded in the fall
of 2015 for the first time.
The Wests are interested
in assisting this group
of students because Ray
West is an engineer. West,
owner of the E.R. West
Engineering Company,
has been successful in
the Midland community Ray and Donna West
where he and his wife
have lived for more than
in honor of her husband, a for43 years.
Julie Gerstenberger, direc- mer SPC golf and tennis coach.
While at SPC, Roberts made
tor of development at SPC, told
the Wests about the college’s an impact on the school, serving
new focus on the pre-engineer- as the chairman of the Physiing major, including an articula- cal Education Department. He
tion program with Texas Tech was awarded the Excellence in
and a new pre-engineering Teaching Award, and he was
lab. When Ray West heard of inducted into the Texan Hall of
Fame as appreciation for all of
his efforts for the students.
“His excellent teaching is
one legacy established at SPC,”
said Gerstenberger. “The SPC
Foundation is proud that his
family and friends have created
this new legacy by which to
honor him.”
The Roberts Scholarship,
which will be awarded in 2015,
will benefit a student majoring
in Physical Education.
A memorial scholarship in
remembrance of Helen
Grappe Graf recently
was established by her
husband, Dave, and her
mother, Pat. The scholarship will be awarded to a
design communications
major, also in 2015.
Grappe Graf attended
SPC intermittently from
the summer of 1972 to
the spring of 2003, and
was “here on a daily basis,”
said Shalyn Slape, scholarship coordinatior at SPC.
She was very involved in
art classes and “thought
a lot of the college,” Slape
told the Plainsman Press.
The Helen Grappe
Graf Scholarship in Design Communications was donated so that the school will
remember one of their own
who was so enthusiastic about
its progress.
In addition to these scholarships, SPC can receive funding
from the state because it is a
Title V school. The Texas Title V
College partners with TSA
to provide technical training
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
portation security officers to
advance their education and
career development in the field
of homeland security. More than
2,500 officers at airports across
the country have enrolled since
the program began, with more
than 70 airports and 60 community colleges participating.
Walker said that SPC will be
working with GCC in establishing a curriculum, recommendations for course materials,
instructional practices, program
guidelines, homeland security
program expansion, and administrative logistics.
“The courses required for
the Certificate of Achievement
A partnership between the
Transportation Security Administration and South Plains
College has been established
to offer TSA employees needed
security courses.
According to James Walker,
vice president of academic affairs at SPC, the TSA Associates
Program is for technical training and was arranged through
Global Corporation College, the
third party contact for TSA.
“The college was contacted,
and after some discussion, I negotiated the contract,
and Dr. Kelvin Sharp
signed it,” Walker
said. “The college
had been under
consideration and
was evaluated for
the purpose of providing educational
courses that will
benefit TSA employees and, hopefully,
encourage them to
continue on with
their education. TSA
would like to have
an educated work- LYNDA WORK/PLAINSMAN PRESS
force.”
As a partner,
SPC will coordinate
with GCC in the delivery of spe- were chosen to be the most
cific courses related to security beneficial to the employees of
to TSA employees, beginning in TSA,” said Walker. “The three
courses that will be offered
Spring 2013.
The TSA Associates Program are “Introduction to Homeland
was launched in 2008, in part- Security,” “Intelligence Analysis
nership with local community and Security Management,”
colleges and has expanded to and “Transportation and Border
employees in all 50 states. Ac- Security.”
“The courses will provide
cording to TSA information,
the
TSA workforce with the
the program will allow trans-
opportunity to receive a TSA
Certificate of Achievement and
pursue an associate’s degree in
a related field,” said Walker. “SPC
will be serving the employees
from the regional airports in the
West Texas area.”
Coursework that will be
covered throughout the program will include an overview
of border and transportation
security challenges, as well as
different methods employed to
solve these issues. Courses will
cover a time period from post
9/11 to the present. Students
will be required to discuss the
legal, economic, political, and
cultural concerns associated
with security.
Walker
says that the
first class to be
offered in the
spring will be
the “Introduction to Homeland Security,”
adding that
a curriculum
is being established for
the other two
courses and
will be submitted to the state
for approval.
Tu i t i o n a n d
charges for the courses will be
the same as for other courses
offered at SPC.
To date, Walker said that TSA
has reported more than 100 employees applying for the security
courses, which will span three
semesters at SPC. Classes may be
held at the Reese Center campus
or Preston Smith International
Airport in Lubbock.
Program provides supplemental but for others, they can mean ize that areas with more college
funding to education reform the difference between having graduates are generally more
programs that are viewed as to work part-time or full-time prosperous, according to Gerprogressive, in hopes of improv- while taking classes. Students stenberger.
Donors who establish scholing educational programs. For who work part-time or not at all
arships play a big role in
example, Title V matched
supporting the school,
the Wests’ donation dolbut they’re not the only
lar for dollar, and now
ones. Gerstenberger dethe school has $20,000
scribed SPC’s general
set aside to help stuscholarship pool, which
dents.
is comprised of small doResearch shows
nations made by people
that scholarships are
in the community.
invaluable to college
“We gave well over
students.
half a million dollars in
“For a large percentscholarships this year,”
age of [students], if they
she said. “The large perdon’t get some financial
centage of those was
aid or scholarship sup- Shown from left, Julie Gerstenberger,
from our general scholarport, they just can’t go. SPC director of development; Ann
ship pool.”
Period. At all. Ever,” says Capps and David Graf.
Photos Courtesy of WES
The general scholarGerstenberger.
ship pool proves that
Financial aid seems UNDERWOOD/SOUTH PLAINS
even small donations
to be more important COLLEGE
matter.
to those students who
“It’s the strength of
choose to attend community colleges, than it does to have “that other part of [their] our combined efforts that really
students who decide to attend time and energy to devote makes a difference in students’
Ivy League schools, according to to [their] studies,” which can lives,” said Gerstenberger.
Gerstenberger says that it is
trends. When describing the dif- improve their grades, said Gereasy for anyone to support the
ference scholarships can make, stenberger.
Scholarships aren’t just ben- college. Donations can be made
Gerstenberger said, “In many
cases, they are game changers.” efitting the individuals who by contacting (806) 716-2020, or
For some people, scholar- receive them, though. They securely online at www.southships determine whether they can benefit the future of an plainscollege.edu/donate.
attend college after high school, entire community. Donors real-
College loans surpass credit
cards as source of student debt
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
borrowers are often surprised
by the terms and conditions of
their loans, and find themselves
without options to refinance or
modify repayment. Unlike federal student loans, private student
loans generally have higher and
variable interest rates and may
not allow borrowers to easily
manage their payments in times
of hardship.
The CFPB found three major
problem areas of concern: Borrowers complain that they may
not receive the information they
Student loans have surpassed credit cards as the largest
source of consumer debt in the
United States.
According to government
reports, financial aid liability
is becoming a monumental
problem, with many borrowers
so financially strapped that they
find themselves unable to repay
student loans. Adding to the
complexity of repaying
these loans is the fact that
bankruptcy is not an option. Loans must be paid
or students and graduates can face increased
financial penalties, wage
garnishment, and even
loss in Social Security in
their later years.
The U.S. D epar tment of Education and
the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau (CFPB)
released a 2012 report indicating that a subprimestyle lending market has
invaded the private stu- Mark Kantrowitz, president of MK
dent loan sector, lead- Consulting and publisher of FinAid.
ing to more aggressive
industry underwriting
for borrowers who cannot afford need about their loans when repayments begin, and are caught
the debt they took on.
The 131-page report re- off guard by unexpected terms
vised government outstanding and costs; difficulty in contactstudent loan debt estimates, ing their servicer for clear and
which climbed to more than accurate information about bills,
$1 trillion in 2011, including payment options, payment pro$864 billion in federal student cessing; and borrowers being
loans and $150 billion in pri- locked into loan terms they canvate student loans. The report not negotiate out of, no matter
also provides an analysis of what the circumstances.
Borrower complaints were
student loan borrower complaints, which is required by the analyzed by financial aid expert
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Mark Kantrowitz. Kantrowitz,
and Consumer Protection Act, who has testified before Conand offers recommendations gress about student aid on sevto the United States Treasury eral occasions, is the publisher
Secretary, Education Secretary, of the FinAid and Fastweb web
sites, author of bestseller Secrets
and Congress.
Information in the report in- to Winning a Scholarship, and
dicates that private student loan president of MK Consulting
Inc., a consulting firm focused
on computer science, artificial
intelligence, and statistical and
policy analysis. He is interviewed regularly by national
news outlets, including the Wall
Street Journal, New York Times,
USA Today, MSN, CNN, NBC, ABC,
CBS, and CNBC, among other
media.
Kantrowitz told the Plainsman Press during a recent interview that many concerns about
student loan debt raise interesting policy questions.
“Total student loan debt
outstanding is in excess of $1
trillion, clearly demonstrating
that student loan debt is a
macroeconomic factor,” said
Kantrowitz. “But it is only a
weakly macroeconomic factor at present, with total annual student loan payments
representing 0.4 percent of
GDP. Still, student loan debt is
a burden that has the potential to delay various lifecycle
events.”
Kantrowitz added that it
is natural for outstanding student loan debt to eventually
exceed credit card debt outstanding, since student loans
are repaid during decades
while credit cards are repaid
during a span of months to
years.
Kantrowitz said that student
loans may be made without
much underwriting, but that is
there is no widespread disconnect between the financial value
of an education and the cost.
But, he points out, that unlike a
loan for a mortgage on property,
“You can’t flip an education.”
“The value is based on earnings, and there is still an earnings
advantage to a college degree,”
said Kantrowitz. “Bachelor’s degree recipients, on average, earn
70 to 80 percent more than
See “STUDENT LOANS” on
Page 3
2
News
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Technological advancements increase risks of human trafficking
(Editor’s note: This story is
the 12th part of a multi-part
series examining human
trafficking, “Sold: Human
Trafficking,” that began in
Issue #1 and will continue
through Issue #6. Several
staff members took it upon
themselves to inteview, take
photographs and conduct
research. The results of
their combined efforts follow.)
by SIERRA TAYLOR
editorial assistant
The advancement of technology has helped kidnappers
move from luring kids to their
vans to your home, through the
Internet.
In an ever-changing world,
the Internet has become a tool
that most of the population
depends on. It can be used to
connect with one another, to
research, and to have fun. But
not everyone is using it for good.
Human trafficking, prostitution,
and child porn have made their
way to the Internet.
Traffickers have gone from
not only looking for helpless
people on the streets, but now
looking for them on a computer
screen.
Due to misplaced trust and
a lack of knowledge of the Internet, most people are willing to
give out personal information
to anyone who asks for it, according to John Shehan of the
National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children.
In cases such as the recent
story of Amanda Todd, where a
young girl in Canada trusted a
stranger on the Internet, who
then used personal information and pornographic photos
of Amanda to blackmail her for
years after the fact, even posting them online to her school
friends. She battled with depression, eating disorders, and
bullies until she took her own
life in October 2012.
“Many things
that [people] share
on the Internet, such
as where they live,
how old they are
can put them at risk
of coming in contact with a predator,” Shehan said in
a recent interview
with the Plainsman
Press.
Th e I nte r n e t
is used by 79 percent of the United
States population
every day, according to Shehan, and
almost half of them
use social networking sites. The use
of these sites has Photo Illustration by RACHEL GILILLAND/PLAINSMAN PRESS
exploded among
teens and adults in
saying websites cannot collect about these risks, but educate
recent years, almost doubling personal information of a child their parents as well. Parents
tend to think that their children
in numbers since 2008, he adds. under the age of 13.”
While sites such as Facebook or
While COPPA has cut down know better, or that it won’t hapMySpace seem like a fun way to on some of the problems with pen to them. But if someone has
connect with friends and family children using the Internet, access to your children, whether
members, it is also a gateway most are not fixed, according to that be online or in person, it
for someone you don’t know to Shehan. Child pornography is can happen to you. Organizahurt you.
showing up all over the Internet, tions such as ‘Enough is Enough:
“COPPA [Children’s Online and once a photo is uploaded, it Protecting our Children Online’
Privacy Protection Act] has set never fully goes away.
have shown many parents that,
many laws for children on the
“[When] Internet service with the right knowledge, they
internet,” says Shehan. “One providers are aware of child can let their children use the
pornography content on their Internet safely, using things such
servers, they are required to re- as, ‘Rules ‘N Tools Youth Pledge,’
move it and report it to the cyber and age-based guidelines.
tip line,” Shehan says.
“Getting the word out,” has
Since the cyber tip line was become something simple to do
created back in 1998, more than on the web as well, says Fowler.
1.6 million cases related to child
Traffickers have now started
sexual exportation have been using social networking sites
reported, according to Shehan. and classified advertisement
Many organizations are try- websites such as Facebook and
ing to not only educate children Craigslist to advertise to anyone
which will then open a new
page where there will be links
offered to begin the graduation
application.
On each form, there is a
question that asks if the student
applying for graduation would
like to be a part of the graduation ceremony in May.
“We do provide all caps and
gowns for any students who by ASHLEIGH WOLBRUECK confidence, along with the exchoose to participate in the staff writer
ceptional hands-on experience
actual graduation ceremony,”
gained in the SPC journalism
Copeland explains. “We defiprogram.
nitely encourage all of the stuWork also teamed with
The Plainsman Press staff former editors Samantha Rodridents to participate in the
ceremony, even those recently was awarded for their guez and Gabriela Perez, who
who are planning on continued hard work and dedi- graduated from SPC in 2011, to
transferring, because cation, bringing home 11 awards place third in Picture Page or
it just makes for a better from the fall conference for the Panel in Division II.
Texas Community College Jourceremony.”
The Plainsman Press staff
Copeland stresses nalism Association.
placed first in In-Depth/InThe TCCJA conference was vestigative Series for “Teens
that those who are
planning on transfer- held on Oct. 12 at Southern with Tots,” a nine-part series on
ring should make Methodist University in Dal- teen pregnancy. Members who
sure to get all of las. Current and former staff worked on the series were Work,
their paperwork in that members brought home the Rodriguez, Perez, Joshua Harris,
is needed for the transferring 11 awards, with 14 community Tausha Rosen, MiReyna Reyes,
process. Although preparing colleges participating from the Devin Hargrove, Amee Odom,
for graduation can be quite the state. The awards were for News Misty Browne, and Rachel Gililprocess, it is a fun and exciting Writing, Picture Page or Panel, land.
time in each student’s life. This In-Depth Investigative Series,
Another former student
time can also be very stressful, Headline Writing, Single Ad De- editor, Evelyn Garcia, placed
which is why seeing your advisor sign, and Sports News.
third in In-Depth/Investigative
Lynda Bryant Work, the cur- Series for her three-part series
is encouraged.
So for those of you whose rent editor-in-chief, placed first on the homeless in Lubbock,
time it is to say “bon voyage,” in for News Writing in Division II “Tent City.”
the words of Dr. Seuss, “You have for her story on the “Miracle on
Jasone Pearson, a former
brains in your head. You have the Hudson” pilot. Work, who sports editor who graduated
feet in your shoes. You can steer has been on the Plainsman from SPC in 2011, placed second
yourself in any direction you Press staff for four semesters, in Sports News for a story on
choose. You are on your own, said that awards not only come the Texans winning the NJCAA
and you know what you know. from dedication and hard work, men’s basketball national chamYou are the guy who’ll decide but from having a great advi- pionship. Pearson also received
sor who instills inspiration and an Honorable Mention for his
where you go.”
Deadline draws near for
fall graduation applications
by KARA HUGHEY
staff writer
It’s that time. The deadline
for applications for South Plains
College students who are planning to graduate in December is
quickly approaching.
Each semester, students
who are looking to graduate are
required to fill out and submit
their graduation application
forms. The fall semester deadline
is Nov. 2.
The applications can be
submitted in the Admissions and
Records Office on the Levelland
and Reese Center campuses.
Students may also submit their
applications online through
their MySPC account on the SPC
website.
There are a few requirements that students must reach
to be able to apply for graduation. These requirements include
having all degree requirements
completed, a cumulative grade
point average of at least a 2.00
(“C”) or higher, and a completed
graduation application.
Students who are interested
in seeing if they are able to graduate this semester should plan a
meeting with their advisor and
see if they have fulfilled the requirements of their degree plan,
or if they have the amount of
hours needed. Graduation clerk
Jenna Copeland says that seeing
an advisor is the most helpful
step in determining whether a
student is ready to graduate.
“Students can start thinking
about applying for graduation
if they have earned at least 50
hours,” Copeland says.
All applications must be reviewed to ensure that students
who have applied for graduation have met, or will meet, the
requirements by the end of the
semester. The applications are
then placed into a file, where
they sit until the end of the
semester. By this time, they are
reviewed once more, and each
application is either approved
or declined, based on whether
the student has
met the
given
requirements.
Each
student is able
to locate the application through
his or her MySPC
account. If there is
trouble finding it
that way, you can also
get to the application through
the South Plains College homepage. When you visit the homepage, find the “information for”
tab. Once you find this tab, on
the drop down there will be a
section that says “For current
SPC students.”
After clicking this tab, it will
direct you to a new page. Once
you are redirected, you will see
that on the left side that there
are many offices to choose from.
Students will then select the
Admissions and Records Office.
After choosing Admissions and
Records, a new list will pop up.
Choose the graduation section,
PUBLICATION STATEMENT
The Plainsman Press is published
every two weeks during regular
semesters by journalism students at
South Plains College in Levelland,
Texas. Opinions herein are those of
the writer and not necessarily those
of the staff, the administration,
Board of Regents, advisor or
advertisers.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
The Plainsman Press encourages
signed letters to the editor.
Published letters are subject
to editing. Letters should be
brought to CM 130 or sent to:
Plainsman Press
1401 S. College Ave.
Box 46
Levelland, TX 79336
PHONE: (806) 894-9611
ext. 2435
EMAIL: [email protected]
willing to pay money to
them.
“Human Traffickers are
using the Internet more
and more to sell, for the
most part, women and
children for sex,” said Foweler in a recent interview
with the Plainsman Press.
“But also, a lot of Internet
companies and technology-based companies are
working to fight trafficking
as well.”
The use of the Internet
makes it harder to track
down traffickers, because
they move their victims
from place to place after
being sold once. In some
cases, traffickers have
sold victims more than 40
times a night, according
to Shehan. As a result, this
increases profits and decreases
the chance of being caught that
they have on the streets.
In 2010, Craigslist took down
the section of its website labeled
“Adult Services” in the United
States after many anti-trafficking
groups, including Polaris Project,
sent letters requesting the website cease all ‘Adult Services’ ads
around the world.
“Our mission is to fight human trafficking,” Foweler said
in a recent interview with the
Plainsman Press. “We do try to
limit and fight sex trafficking
online.”
To learn more information
about human trafficking online,
visit www.polarisproject.org. To
educate yourself about Internet
safety, visit www.enough.org.
Journalism students win 11
awards at TCCJA conference
Editorial Staff
Charlie Ehrenfeld / Advisor
Lynda Bryant Work/ Editor-in-Chief
Jayme Wheeler/ Associate Editor
Online Editor
Rachel Gililland / Photo Editor
Devin Hargrove /News Editor
Katie Sommermeyer/ Opinion Editor
Victoria Landers / Feature Editor
Joshua Harris / Entertainment Editor
Tyler Johnson/Sports Editor
Sierra Taylor/editorial assistant
Caitlin Welborn/editorial assistant
story on Peyton Manning’s appearance in Hobbs, N.M.
Another Honorable Mention went to Harris, the entertainment editor, in the Cartoon
Category. Rodriguez also received an Honorable Mention for
Single Ad design, while Rosen
placed second in Single Ad
Design. Also, Perez received an
Honorable Mention award for
Sports Action Photo.
The 11 awards tied the
staff ’s record first set in the
2010 contest. SPC students have
won 52 awards from the TCCJA
since 2005, and 95 awards from
the Texas Intercollegiate Press
Association since 2004.
“I think I can speak for all the
staff members who won awards,”
said Work. “It is an honor, and
we are all very proud to have
been recognized for our efforts.
Charlie Ehrenfeld has given us a
strong foundation on which to
build our journalism skills, and
the bar has been set high for
the future. It feels great to have
even more awards hanging on
the walls in the news room.
Winning the News Writing was
definitely a high point for me.
I am extremely proud of all the
winners.“
Staff Writers & Photographers
Brittany Rice
Desi Sanchez
Kati Walker
Andrea Larimore
Micaela Luis
Alex Mason
Aly Richardson
Erica Smith
Kara Hughey
Jordan Irvine
Anna Dodson
Randi Adams
Ashleigh Wolbrueck
3
News
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Repaying student loans creates challenge for many graduates
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
diploma. Also, 93 percent of
new education loans are made
by the federal government. The
federal government is unlikely
to stop making education loans,
since even with the 9.1 percent
default rates, the loan program
as a whole is still profitable to
the government. Default rates
would have to triple for the government to lose money.”
Kantrowitz said that the
government’s goal isn’t to make
a profit, but to enable access to
education, pointing out that
a bachelor’s degree recipient
pays more than twice the federal income tax of a high school
graduate. So even if the loans
lost money, the government
would still profit from increased
federal income tax revenue.
Kantrowitz said that some
students graduate with more
debt and get degrees in fields
that are less lucrative, and that
the figures in the CPFB report
about income vs. cost are averages.
“If a student’s total education debt at graduation exceeds
the student’s annual income,
the student will struggle to
repay his or her student loans,”
said Kantrowitz. “My best estimate is that less than 10 percent
of students have difficulty repaying their loans. The majority
of borrowers are able to repay
their debt. The average debt
for a bachelor’s degree is about
$28,000.”
According to Kantrowitz,
approximately one-third of recent college graduates graduate
with enough debt to qualify for
a 20-year or longer repayment
plan.
“This means they will still
be in repayment when their
children enroll in college,” Kantrowitz said. “This makes them
less likely to have saved for their
children’s education, and less
likely to be willing to borrow
for their children’s education.
So, the debt burden on the next
generation will be that much
greater than today. Thus, even if
there isn’t a student loan bubble
today, one might start forming
in 20 years.”
Kantrowitz said that the declining economy is contributing
to problems of repayment, along
with the growing cost of higher
education.
“The problem isn’t so much
student debt as it is student debt
out of sync with income,” said
Kantrowitz. “High unemployment and underemployment is
the problem, hopefully a temporary one that should resolve itself
in the next few years. Still, debt
continues to grow each year,
so there also needs to be an increase in government spending
aimed at making college more
affordable despite the increase
in cost.”
Kantrowitz said that what
is occurring is a sharp decline
in college affordability for many
college-bound students.
“Low income students are
increasingly being priced out
of a college education,” said
Kantrowtiz. “One of the ways
in which students react to the failure
of grants to keep
pace with increases
in college costs is
to shift enrollment to
lower cost
colleges
and to skip
college entirely. These trends manifest
themselves first among low and
moderate income students.”
Kantrowitz said that the report, “The Rising Price of Inequality”, by the Advisory Committee
on Student Financial Assistance,
clearly shows this trend.
“I have graphs that show
that the distribution of students
among certificate, associate’s
An advocate of accessible for student aid loans to attend
and bachelor’s degree programs higher education, Kantrowitz college.
shifts with increasing income,” said he would like to see free
“With the high cost of tuition,
said Kantrowitz. “So the shift of K-16 education for all American my son had to apply for loans,”
college to wealthier students students.
said Hill. “The cost of education
is already starting to occur,
“This would be a big invest- just keeps going up. I don’t know
and will gradually
how some
get worse as the
people can
federal and state
afford it.
governments conIt can cost
tinue to disinvest
upwards of
in postsecondary
$25,000 a
education. Conyear to atsider that only
tend a maabout 10 percent
jor univerof students at Ivy
sity.”
League instituHill said
tions receive the
a problem
Pell Grant, a good
with the
proxy for low ini n c re a s e d
come students,
number
compared with
of student
about a quarter of
loan destudents at pub- The Financial Aid Office at SPC offers information about loans
faults has
lic and non-profit and grants for students.
a lot to do
colleges, and two
the decline
thirds of students ANNA DODSON/PLAINSMAN PRESS
in the U.S.
at for-profit coleconomy.
leges.”
ment, roughly $250 billion a
“It is hard to pay back a
While college tuition is in- year,” said Kantrowitz. “But the student loan if you can’t find
creasing at a rapid rate, Kan- question is, how do we get there a job,” said Hill. “Many go into
trowitz said that freezing tuition from here, when there are few fields that make it difficult to pay
rates is not an answer, because politicians who have the insight loans back.”
that would affect the quality of to champion such a cause?
Equal Justice Works, a noneducation. But, he said the high What’s needed is a reversal of profit organization in Washcost of education must this trend, perhaps even a bold ington, D. C., founded by law
be addressed.
new government investment students in 1986, has taken a
“The primary in higher education, such as an leadership role in successfully
cause of tuition in- immediate doubling or even tri- advocating for loan repayment
flation at public pling of the average Pell Grant. It assistance programs (LRAPs),
colleges is would be a challenge and would according to Isaac Bowers, a
cuts in state cost an extra $35 to $70 billion senior program manager in the
educational debt and outreach
support of a year.”
postsecWhile loans may still be unit.
Bowers is responsible for
ondary ed- obtained through governmentucation,” said guaranteed loan sources, most the organization’s educational
Kantrowitz. banks have ceased making pri- debt relief initiative. An ex“In general, vate loans to students, according pert on educational debt relief,
debt is driven to Kenneth Hill, branch manager he writes a weekly blog for
U.S. News, conducts monthly
by the failure of grants to keep for City Bank in Morton.
pace with increases in college
“City Bank hasn’t made stu- webinars, advises employers,
costs. There has been a shifting dent loans in four or five years,” law schools and professional
of the burden of paying for col- said Hill. “I don’t know many organizations, and works with
lege from the government to the banks in the area that do any- Congress and the Department of
Education on Federal legislation
individual student over the past more.”
several decades.”
Hill said that his son applied and regulations.
Ghoulish
Activities
The Office of Student Life hosted the SPC Halloween Carnival
on Oct. 25 in the Sundown Room of the Student Center on the
Levelland Campus.
ALY RICHARDSON/PLAINSMAN PRESS
“Equal Justice Works is dedicated to creating a just society
by mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed
to equal justice,” says Bower. “We
believe that the poorest and the
most vulnerable deserve equal
access to justice, meaning that
the lawyers who serve them can
manage their student debt.”
A new report from the The
Project on Student Debt notes
that two-thirds of college seniors
who graduated from public and
nonprofit four year colleges in
2011 had student debt, and that
average debt for for those with
loans was $26,600, up 5 percent
from 2010, according to Bowers
who says that one-in-five have
educational debt that must be
paid back.
“At the worst end, they can’t
afford to repay the loans,” says
Bowers, adding that even if they
are paying on the loans, they
often cannot afford to invest
in other things such as a home,
family, or retirement.
Both Bowers and Kantrowitz
said that student loan reform is
needed, first by expanding the
grant programs, and by allowing
these loans to be discharged in
bankruptcy.
Bowers said that students
need to get as much information
as possible when applying for
student loans and understand
the loan forgiveness and repayment programs available to
them, such as the Public Service
Loan Forgiveness, Income-based
Repayment Plans, and the Loan
Assistance Repayment Plans.
Information and free webinars concerning loan assistance
repayment programs can be
found at the Equal Justice Works
website: www.equaljusticeworks.org/ed-debt.
Additionally, financial aid
and debt relief information
can be found at FinAid.org and
Fastweb.org.
4
October 29, 2012
Opinion
Plainsman Press
Critical questions avoided during presidential debates
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
The presidential and vice
presidential debates have been
totally unrevealing and ridiculous.
High school and college
debates have more relevance
than these scripted and semimoderated spectacles that insult
the public with expensive suits
and, often, incorrect data. Missing at this political level of oratory challenges is the element of
persuasion and the marshaling
of facts to clinch an argument.
There are no true judges of the
debate, and no obvious winner.
What we are seeing is not a
real debate, but a last-ditch political infomercial that confuses
the issues further.
The amazing thing is that
the first rule of pre-election
debates appears to be that
there is no disagreeing on what
matters most. Candidates rarely
challenge their opponent on
“facts,” and they typically ditch
the scheduled questions for
some rehashed set of campaign
rhetoric.
Sadly, the joke is on us.
These guys are simply standins for Washington. It is D.C.
on autopilot when it comes to
domestic and foreign issues and,
apparently, there is a non-existent gap between the Obama
and Romney platforms, no matter how much they jab at each
other on the subject.
The old line about those
who fail to understand history
repeating its mistakes applies
easily here, particularly after
the last 11 years of chocking up
one disaster after another here
and abroad, without one iota of
new thinking (and guaranteed
not to put in an appearance at
any debates). Simply put, we are
doomed to more of the same.
I think it is critical to ask
these political geniuses several
questions. It will be a pop quiz,
so be prepared for stuttering
and stumbling on uncertain
answers.
Let’s start with the oftenasked question: Is there an end
game for the global war on terrorism?
We had a Republican president begin this crusade, and a
current president who promised
change and the end to war.
Guantanamo, the prize of the
Bush-era, which continues to
house more than 160 prisoners - who are being withheld
without trial - remains in tact.
While U.S. troops were technically pulled out of Iraq, the war
in Afghanistan continues with
little hope of resolution. Drone
strikes and other forms of conflict continue, and in all the same
places that President George W.
Bush tormented.
Under the umbrella of
Homeland Security, a national
security state has been codified, and Washington is unable
to come up with nothing more
than a swat-a-fly strategy for
taking care of terror, an endless succession of missions to
kill the al-Qaeda number-three
guys. John Brennan, the counterterrorism tsar, has stated that,
“We’re not going to rest until
al-Qaeda, the organization, is
destroyed and is eliminated
from areas in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Africa, and other
areas.” (Translation, it never has
to end because we can declare
the entire world a war zone for
our private agenda).
So, candidates, I ask you the
question: What’s the end game
for all this? Is this the infinite
state of existence, the fighting
of a global war under whatever
name or no name at all?
The next important
domestic-crossover question, which should concern all Americans, is:
Do today’s domestic and
foreign policy challenges
mean that it’s time to retire the Constitution?
Prior to 9/11, it was
assumed that our Constitution was adaptable
to all challenges or problems. Since that tragic
day, any and all concerns,
threats and risks abroad
have been an excuse to
undermine and abandon all the core beliefs
enshrined in the Bill of
Rights. Barring the Second Amendment and gun
ownership, nearly every
other key right has been
trodden upon.
The First Amendment
was sacrificed to silence
whistleblowers and journalists. Forget freedom of speech
and the right to know. Forget the
honor of exposing lawbreakers
and unscrupulous activity. The
new rule of the day is to punish
the good guys who actually have
a moral standard or high code of
ethics. Journalists are punished
by being fired or threatened into
silence if they attempt to reveal
the truth.
The Fourth and
Fifth Amendments
were ignored to
spy on Americans at home
and kill them
with drones
abroad.
(Sept. 30 was
the one-year
anniversary
of the Obama
administration’s first acknowledged
murder without
due process of
an American -- and
later his teenaged
son -- abroad. The
United States has
similarly killed
two other Americans abroad via a
drone).
Are you next? You do realize
that America has thousands of
drones flying overhead to spy on
its citizens (yes, you). Why have
we been so lackadaisical in stopping this trend to stomp on the
Constitution and freedom? Will
it continue? And if so, shouldn’t
some kind of notice or bul-
letin be published to warn the
American citizen of impending
dictatorship?
The third important set of
questions involves the Middle
East: What do we want from the
Middle East? Is it all about oil, or
maybe hegemony and contain-
goals are in the Middle East,
other than invading and starting
endless wars. Of course, no one
may invade another country unless done so by our friends or by
us, then, it is just fine. How hypocritical is that? Take a Valium and
think about it.
now act as the “decider” on exactly who gets obliterated.
I have to ask, given that the
“occupy everywhere” army is
now killing more of its own via
suicide than any enemy, what
will you do to right-size the
military and downsize its global
ment? What could possibly be
the goal in fighting a proxy war
with Iran, while we continue supporting the thug dictators in the
region who support our policies
and opposing the same kind of
thugs who oppose us?
This kind of policy has not
Come on, candidates. No
cheating here. These questions
are posed to you directly and
not to your speechwriters or
campaign staff. Surely you know
that having no policy is a policy
of its own, and you have to have
some plan and sketch out a series of semi-rational actions to
support it.
In the fourth section, we
must ask questions about
the military: What is
your plan to rightsize our military,
and what about
downsizing the
global mission?
The wars
in Iraq and
Afghanistan
have literally
worn our military down to
its lowest point
since Vietnam.
Suicide among
soldiers is at an
all-time high, not
to mention that the
toll on families from the
endless deployments
i s i m m e a s u ra b l e.
The expanding role
of military abroad
is reckless and irresponsible. It has become
nothing less than the use of a
praetorian guard, with the Joint
Special Operations Command,
along with a militarized CIA
and deadly drones, offering an
incredible amount of personal
killing power. Presidents can
mission? Do you care one iota
about the troops or cost? And
just where in the Constitution
did this country’s founders indicate that any president would
have unchecked personal warmaking powers?
Candidates, be careful not
to let your superiority complex
show through too much. Those
smirks are not flattering. And
don’t you dare even go near
the idea that I am unpatriotic
for questioning the roll of the
military in your quest for the position of imperial leader. There is
too much military history in my
family extending into the present. You are the ones who deem
to kill these brave Americans in
your quest for global rule. When
they do make it through these
tours of duty, you have the gall
to NOT care for them when they
get back, or, at the very least
have jobs for them ready.
Moving on to the next set
of questions, we must address
American exceptional-ism.
Since no one outside of our
borders buys into this concept
anymore, what’s next? What
is the point of America these
days?
While most Americans want
to keep the old myth alive that
this country is the most exceptional place on Earth, our foreign
policy indicates that we are more
like hateful old men, reduced to
feeling good by yelling at other
countries to keep the kids off
the lawn or by taking potshots
(or launching drones) against
them.
worked out well in the past, and
it appears that our candidates
have amnesia and do not remember the long run in Central
and South America. History
suggests that we should make
our minds up on what America’s
We are at a make-or-break
place in history, and the reality
of freedom is highly ambiguous. The idea of who we are and
what we are in other countries
is very grim, as global opinion
polls indicate. It seems that
America the Exceptional has run
its course and has simply
become a bully and an
invader. It has become
an imperialist nation
that is willing to pay
any price to grab the oil
and resources belonging to other sovereign
nations, knowing this
encourages instability
in all regions, including
within the U.S borders.
So once again, candidates, without having
to tolerate your “shining
on the hill” metaphors,
tell us your realistic version of who we are in
the world, and who do
you want us to be? Are
you ready to promote
a policy of fighting to
be planetary big dog
- knowing where that
leads - or can we find
a peaceful place in the
global community (and
no, peace does not mean killing
everyone on Earth as a solution,
so skip pulling that one on us)?
You look shocked, candidates. We really want to know, so
cut the bull and give us a straight
answer.
Now, let’s add a couple of
bonus sections to this inquiry.
Sorry I didn’t warn you earlier
about this one, but add this section to every question previously
asked. Think about it and answer
carefully: How do you realistically plan to pay for all of these
things?
Do you realize that for every
school and road built in Iraq and
Afghanistan on the taxpayer’s
dollar, you could have built two
in this country? When you insist
that we can’t pay for crucial
needs at home, tell me why
these can be funded abroad?
Further, why are U.S. government contracts being awarded
to foreign countries? Do you
think America is now so inept
that these contracts can’t be
filled here – and provide Americans with desperately needed
jobs? I thought you said America
is the greatest country on Earth
(oops).
Don’t you dare say that we
have to spend money to “defend
America,” when any idiot knows
that employment, the infrastructure, education, industry, and
stability of this country, will do
more to defend it than anything
done abroad.
You see, candidates, inquiring minds need to know, and the
answers are long overdue.
5
Opinion
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Violent TV shows more for entertainment than influence
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
The news is filled with different tragedies every day.
We hear about wars, trafficking, drugs, and senseless
murders regularly. So, why is it so
wrong for a TV show to be about
these tragedies too?
By now, almost everyone
knows about “Breaking Bad” and
“Sons of Anarchy.” They are both
considerably violent and have
earned bad reputations, even
with “Breaking Bad” winning
Emmy awards. But they are also
considered by some to be bad,
as they can be seen as glorifying
drugs and violence.
“Breaking Bad” airs Sunday
nights at 9 p.m. on AMC and
stars Bryan Cranston as Walter
White, a high school teacher
who finds out he has cancer.
Before then, he had been living
a pretty basic life. But now, he
wants to leave more for his family so that they’re not left in a pile
of debt from his hospital bills
and possible funeral bills.
So when he runs in to former
student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron
Paul), as he’s running from a drug
bust, he decides he should try to
work with him and make extra
money by, what else, making the
purest
meth.
The
s h o w
revolves
around
Walter’s
struggles in
the drug
world,
includi n g
evading
the Drug
Enforcem e n t
Agency
a n d
trying
to stay
away from cartels.
“Sons of Anarchy,” on the
other hand, doesn’t have too
much to do with drugs, but a lot
to do with guns and violence.
Charlie Hunnam stars as Jax
Teller, one of the leaders of the
Sons of Anarchy motorcycle
crew, as he and the sons keep
drug traffickers and dealers out
of the fictional town of Charming. While they keep an auto
shop for laundering money, they
get most of their money by illegally importing, modifying, and
selling guns to gangs outside of
Charming. They don’t care what
the gangs do with those guns,
as long as it happens away from
their town.
Both shows have had extremely graphic, violent moments, but clearly they are not
too violent to be on an expanded
channel line-up instead of something like HBO or Showtime. So
how bad can they really be?
Along with that, if “Break-
are these shows glorifying anything? No.
For years, movies and other
TV shows have done the same
things, but that’s like saying that
having a gun makes someone
want to kill. It doesn’t work like
that. While people can believe
that “Teen Mom” glorifies pregnancy, because these little girls
want to get pregnant and famous, people shouldn’t believe
that “Breaking Bad” makes peo-
ple want to cook meth, because
there’s nothing glorious about
what happens to Walter. And
no one can say they want to buy
guns from the Sons of Anarchy,
because when a deal goes sour,
those bikers go crazy.
These shows aren’t necessarily raising awareness about
the problems surrounding us,
but they also aren’t harming
anyone anymore than watching
the news and hearing about all
the senseless school shootings or child abductions. I don’t
watch the news about a random
murder and think it is glorifying
psychopaths, so how is it different?
Personally, I’d rather watch
these shows and know they are
fake than hear about a teenager getting attacked in her high
school gym and wonder what is
wrong with this world.
Overlooked child abuse problem
leads to undesirable outcomes
ing Bad” has done anything, it
has made me want to get even
farther away from drugs than I
am. It has shown time and time
again how Walter has had to deal
with the consequences of making meth, and it has done a great
job of detailing the violence
surrounding drugs that I can’t
imagine any viewer thinking,
“What a good idea.”
And with “Sons of Anarchy,” sure, they’re violent and
have done some pretty graphic
things, but, overall, the motorcycle crew just tries to make sure
that their
tow n i s
s a fe. I n
one episode, a
little girl
was a
victim of
a sexual
assault,
and what
does the
crew do?
They find
the rapist
and castrate him.
Call me
crazy, but
I think
that ’s
pretty
well deserved.
So, while
the content of the show is incredibly violent and gory on
most occasions, who wouldn’t
want a motorcycle crew following them around, fighting their
battles and castrating rapists?
So, are these shows full
of senseless violence? Yes. But
by CAITLIN WELBORN
editorial assistant
Every day, a child suffers
from some form of abuse.
Whether it be physical,
mental, sexual, neglect,verbal,
or any other form of abuse, it’s
still abuse, whether it leaves a
mark that is visible to the public
eye or not.
Children are saved from
abusive homes and situations
all the time. But how many more
go unnoticed? We here about
physical abuse all the time. It
seems to be the type of abuse
that the public is aware of. But
there is more than that. Some
of the other types of abuse will
scar a child more than just the
violent, physical contact he or
she might experience. Neglect
can hurt a child on the inside,
making him or her more messed
up inside than people realize.
The feeling of neglect or
mental and emotional abuse
will carry into adulthood for
children. Just like the saying,
“Monkey see, monkey do,” what
kids learn from their parents,
whether it is the way their parents treat them, or how their
parents treat each other, is most
likely the kind of abusive behav-
Man on the Street
iors that they will practice later
on in life. The abused can often
become the abuser.
There are three roles that a
kid of abuse will fall into when
suffering from an abusive past,
the abuser, the victim, or the savior for kids who are saved from
such environments. The affects
of abusive backgrounds that
children experience can lead to
more abusive acts against themselves. If the abuse is ingrained
enough, then the kids begin to
really believe what they have
been told and shown they are
worth. This makes them turn
to drugs and alcohol, and they
revert to the abusive behaviors
taught to them by their parents
or guardians.
According to Childhelp.org,
a website helping to prevent and
bring awareness to
child abuse, the
leading type
of abuse is
neglect,
at 78.3
percent,
but not
the type
of abuse
t h a t
people
think about
most, because
it doesn’t leave a
physical mark that
people can see. If people can’t
see the abuse for themselves,
then when they are told about
abuse the child might be suffering, most often they are skeptical
about the accusations.
In the mind of the public,
children will often lie to make an
excuse for not doing something
in school, or perhaps other situations. Once this happens, it soon
becomes a pattern of thinking.
So when children who are actually being abused make ac-
cusations about their parent or
guardian abusing them, people
often do not believe them.
Physical abuse is the second
most frequent type of abuse,
with a percentage at 17.6 percent, according to Childhelp.
org.
More children die every day
due to abuse because they are
not saved, whether they take
their own life or whether the
abuse becomes too much and
the parent finally passes the
point of no return with the abuse
inflicted on their children. So our
job as a community is to catch
the signs early on and do something about it, instead of sitting
on the sideline and watching.
I am not trying to say that
physical abuse should go without action to prevent it. I am just
trying to make a point
that physical abuse is
the type of abuse
that people are
most aware
of. I am also
not saying
that we will
save everyone. But we
could lower
the percentage of
children abused
every year, or even
every day, if we just
try a little harder to be active
about it.
Child abuse, or even abuse
in general, is a topic that is difficult to discuss without people
getting into a heated conversation. But we need to raise more
awareness, not only in the media, but within ourselves so that
we look for other signs, not just
physical signs, to perhaps save
even just one more child from
being abused, killed, or growing
up to repeat the cycle.
compiled by Victoria Landers
and Jayme Wheeler
What are the most important issues facing the
candidates in the presidential debates, and why?
“Defense spending, because we owe China $17 billion,
and that’s where the bulk of
our money is going is defense
spending.”
Tyler Hendricks
Sophomore
Odessa
Sound Technology
“Obviously, the whole economy situation, that’s a given.
Also, civil rights; everyone wants
to have the same rights.”
Hannah Arbour
Freshman
Atlanta, GA
Criminal justice
“The issue of healthcare
is a big one. Also, taxes are (a
problem), especially for small
businesses.”
Matt Deatherage
Sophomore
Lubbock
Audio engineering
“ObamaCare; I don’t agree
with it. Also, the middle class, no
one is doing anything to help.”
Jessica Lopez
Cashier
Levelland
“I’d say fixing the economy,
because we’re in a lot of debt.”
Alex Lara
Freshman
Lubbock
Sound technology
“In the last debate, the only
thing I really noticed that drove
me crazy was that they do not
answer the questions. So how,
as a voter, do you decide what
you want to do?”
Robin Reeves
Administrative Assistant to
the Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Levelland
6
Opinion
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Signs for telling when she is just not into you
by KATIE SOMMERMEYER
opinion editor
Guys hate the feeling that
the really cute girl they gave
their number to is blowing
them off.
They begin to ask themselves, “What female wouldn’t
want to call me, right?” Wrong.
Sorry to burst your ego bubble
guys, but she’s probably just not
that into you.
Don’t assume every girl
you chase feels the same way
about you. I’m not saying to lose
confidence when you’re around
girls, but cutting the cockiness
wouldn’t hurt. There are a number of reasons why a girl doesn’t
want to date someone, and
your looks may have nothing
to do with it. Either they aren’t
looking for a relationship, they
only see you as a friend, or they
may already be in a relationship,
whether it’s “Facebook official”
or not.
Women aren’t the best at
blatantly saying that they’re
not interested, so we often play
games or utilize our nonverbal
communication skills. It’s your
job to pick up on the
signals, but sometimes
that’s easier said than
done. I’m going to
help, and give you the
top 10 signs that she’s
just not that into you.
The first signal: You
see someone who you
find attractive and you
possibly want to get
her number to set up a
date in the near future.
After flirting for about
five minutes, you ask
her for her number.
First of all, if you use
the term “digits,” you
might as well leave
before you completely
lose your dignity altogether. Secondly, if she
says, “No, let me get
your number!” she’ll
probably never call.
By getting your
number instead of
giving you hers, she
doesn’t have to worry
about you calling in the next
week. Don’t lose hope, though,
because maybe within that week
she has a change of heart about
you and does give you a call!
Another sign that involves
phone numbers and phone
calls is that if she does give you
her number, you call, and she is
busy every night you suggest.
She may be telling the truth and
is actually busy. But if she was
interested, she would suggest
another day.
For example, you ask about
Monday night for dinner, and she
replies with, “No I’m busy that
night, sorry.” If she really wanted
to go on a date, she would follow
that with, “But I’m open Tuesday
for lunch!” If not, I would move
on and stop chasing the girl
who doesn’t want you. After
all, you won’t be happy unless
both parties want to be in the
relationship!
When it comes to you texting, e-mailing, or sending her a
message on Facebook, if it takes
her more than a day to respond,
she isn’t interested. She may
try and play it off by saying she
just got the message or she just
checked her e-mail.
However, it’s a little hard to
play this card when almost every
cellular device has Facebook
Poor decisions, funding issues
harmful for Komen Foundation
by RANDI ADAMS
staff writer
It appears that past controversies and negative publicity
have hindered the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s efforts to raise
money for their cause this year.
Susan G. Komen’s Race for
the Cure fundraiser events all
over the nation this month have
seen a decline in registration,
and the organization itself has
suffered record-low fundraising,
according to news outlets.
The Komen Foundation has
drawn criticism for some of its
practices and
decisions, particularly last
January when
it ceased
funding to
Planned Parenthood. The
decision was
denounced
by women’s
health advocacy groups,
politicians,
and the general public.
Four days later, the foundation reversed the decision,
most likely due to all of the
negative publicity it received.
Many believed that the decision was based on the fact that
the company’s CEO at the time
was pro-life and possibly took
issue with Planned Parenthood
providing abortion services.
This controversy alone left
a bad taste in my mouth, until I
heard about the foundation’s legal battles regarding trademarking. In 2007, the organization
changed its name to “Susan G.
Komen for the Cure” and trademarked
the running
ribbon.
S i n c e
then, more
than 100
small charities
have received legal opposition
from Komen regarding various
uses of the words “for the cure”
in their names. Interestingly
enough, only 21 percent of
Komen’s total budget goes to
research.
According to media sources
in 2011, the foundation spent 15
percent, or $63 million, of its donations on research awards that
fund studies on everything from
hard-core molecular biology
to the quality of breast-cancer
care for Medicaid patients. That
proportion was down from 17
percent in 2009 and 2010. In
2008, that percentage reached
29 percent of donations.
And let’s not forget Komen’s
“pinkwashing” of consumer
goods and services. You can
scarcely walk into any store in Oc-
probably doesn’t want to be
seen with you. The same applies
if you post a picture of the two
of you and she untags herself. If
she doesn’t want other people to
think you two are in a relationship, she doesn’t want to be in a
relationship.
When you make a joke and
she doesn’t laugh at all, it doesn’t
necessarily mean it wasn’t funny.
She just doesn’t like you. If a girl
is interested in you, it is the exact
opposite. You could say the most
pointless thing and she would
call you the funniest person in
the world and burst out with
laughter.
The 10th and final sign that
she just isn’t interested is if she
is constantly mentioning her exboyfriend when you two hang
out. It means
she probably
still has feelings for him
a n d wo n’t
be looking
fo r a n e w
guy to date
for a while.
Yo u m a y
actually be
her dream
guy, but she
won’t begin
to see you
as boyfriend
material
until she is
completely
over her ex.
A l t h o u g h
they may be
harsh, somePhoto Illustrations by JAYME WHEELER/PLAINSMAN PRESS
times girls
don’t realize
the messages they are
Also, you may have become sending could hurt your feelings.
she doesn’t want to talk to you
and she isn’t interested. She a victim of the “friend zone” if We are often selfish and only
might as well have said, “I was she always talks about your think about who we want to be
having a good day, until you sent hot friends in front of you. This with, taking into consideration
means that she is comfortable only our feelings.
me a text! Sad face.”
Like they say, it’s not you,
She also isn’t interested if talking to you about her relationyou call her and she never an- ships, and that she doesn’t see it’s me. Well, if someone doesn’t
swers and never calls you back. If you two ever being in a relation- want to be with you, find someshe only returns your calls when ship together or becoming more one who does, someone who
appreciates you for you! Just
she needs a ride to the store or than friends.
If she never wants to hang- because some girls aren’t inwants you to fix something, she
doesn’t want to be in a relation- out with you or never invites terested, doesn’t mean they all
you to anything, even though aren’t. Don’t give up, there are
ship with you.
Signs and signals that in- you are always inviting her, she plenty of fish in the sea!
and email directly
connected to the
number. The truth
is, she probably got
the message seconds
after it was sent, but
chose not to reply
until days later because she felt bad
for leaving you hanging.
This also applies
when you text her
and she always replies with one-word
answers. If you send
her a thoughtful,
long message asking her about her
day and she always
replies with, “fine”,
or “OK”, it shows that
tober without being bombarded
with pink,
and there is
e ve r y thing from
pink
M & M s
candy to
handguns.
M any of
t h e s e
promotions are
deceptive
to consumers and benefit the companies more than
the charity, also
known as “moneydriven activism,”
according to critics.
In response, projects
such as “Think Before You
Pink” were created to encourage consumers “to ask critical
questions about pink ribbon
promotions.”
While I think the awareness
that has been raised for breast
cancer is great, at the end of
the day, the biggest concern for
organizations such as Komen is
money. I wish “charities” such as
Komen would stop trying to set
the standards for morality, stop
acting like
a corporation and
get back to
what they
should
be doing,
which is
helping
people.
There are
better
organizations to
give to,
should you
choose to
do so. The
Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Breast Cancer Action and
American Cancer Society are
great organizations that really
do not receive enough credit for
the work that they do.
volve being “friend-zoned” include the terms she uses to
describe you. If she says things
such as, “I’m so lucky to have
a friend like you!” , or “ I don’t
know what I’d do if I lost a great
friend like you!”, she will only see
you as her friend. Basically, any
sentence that can be traced back
to the word friend is your signal
that she sees you as nothing
more than that.
At this point in the friendship, I would recommend getting BFF tattoos, because that’s
the only thing you’ll ever be to
her. Be careful about what you
get, though, because if you do
ever confess your feelings to
her, it is highly unlikely your
friendship will survive that awkwardness.
Disadvantages outweigh
benefits of social networking
by SIERRA TAYLOR
editorial assistant
When it comes to the world
of social networking, our generation knows best.
Unfortunately, social networks come with a lot of responsibility. We all hear about
that one girl we went to high
school with who made the
mistake of sending a personal
image to someone she trusted
much more than she should
have. Before you know it, she
has lost all respect and the
public has gained a whole new
perspective on her.
We think to ourselves, “Oh,
I would never do something so
stupid.” In all reality, how much
trust should we put into our social networks? The most obvious
answer should be, “None at all.”
Most of us don’t realize that
when we put something online,
it’s there forever. More and more
companies require your profile
passwords and will take into
account what is on your profile
when it comes to hiring.
Another issue many people
have when it comes to the online
realm is talking to strangers.
Contrary to popular belief,
not everyone is who they say
they are. The Internet is filled to
the brim with “creeps” Trust me
when I say, they are �“creepin.”
Social networking can be
very beneficial. We use Facebook
for communication, brand exposure, traffic to other sites, and
sometimes even for news. If you
are searching for a convenient
way to find friends, family or acquaintances and get connected
to them easily, Facebook is an
appropriate method.
Twitter is a popular microblogging system that enables
users to send messages of 140
characters or less. It first started
as a means to communicate
between friends, family and
coworkers, but has evolved into
a powerful social medium as a
great and extremely fast way
to get information around the
globe, Talk about the grapevine. Twitter indeed illustrates
the meaning. Even the 44th
U.S president, Barack Obama,
tweets.
It is definitely not an exaggeration to say that social media
websites are evolving to be (or
are already) a huge addition into
our lives. The younger generations are growing up in a world
that seems smaller because
communication has become
much easier, as compared to
our grandfather’s time. Interaction with a complete stranger
from another side of the world
doesn’t seem that strange
after all.
The key to social networking is to remain competitive
and to bring the resources to
your advantage. Identify your
needs to attain effective communication, and then choose
the right channels to broadcast
your message and choose the
right message to communicate.
Our very own words and actions
can take a turn for the worse
and come back to bite us on the
backside. It’s our job to keep
them on their leash. In the words
of Uncle Ben from “Spiderman,”
“With great power, comes great
responsibility.”
Feature
Plainsman Press
7
October 29, 2012
Survivor becomes advocate for Internet safety
(Editor’s note: This story is
the 13th part of a multi-part
series examining human
trafficking, “Sold: Human
Trafficking,” that began in
Issue #1 and will continue
through Issue #6. Several
staff members took it upon
themselves to inteview, take
photographs and conduct
research. The results of
their combined efforts follow.)
by KATI WALKER
staff writer
Predators are able to obtain
access to their prey with the
stroke of a finger by using the
Internet.
Even before Facebook,
MySpace and Twitter, predators
have been using this technique
to gain a victim’s trust and then
lure him or her into meeting
them in person. This is when
a predator takes advantage
of their position of trust and
power, and, more often than
not, this leads to sexual assault
or worse.
Alicia Kozakiewicz was a
firsthand witness to the real dangers that lie in the cyber world
when she was just 13 years old.
“It seemed the world transitioned from the real world to the
virtual one,” Kozakiewicz said.
“Nearly all of my friends spent
hours after school online.”
With the introduction of
technology to communicate,
younger generations are becoming more and more reliant
on the Internet to make and
keep relationships with friends.
But when you don’t know who
you’re talking to, how can you be
sure they are
friends?
“I joined
them online
and met others
through them,”
Kozak iewicz
s a i d. “ I w a s
introduced
i n a Ya h o o !
chat room to
the man that
would be my
abductor.”
C h i l d re n
can access
sites that actually provide the
user’s information without a
predator even needing to pursue
the child.
“Children are sharing private
information more freely now,
and they have to be aware of the
additional dangers,” Kozakiewicz
said.
Kozakie wicz communicated with a
man she had
met for a period of eight
months, admitting that
she almost felt
obligated to be
there for him as
he was always
“there” for her.
“He made
me feel beautiful, unique,
important and
smart,” Kozakiewicz says. “He
was always on my side, no matter
what. He was there for me day
or night, and always with what
seemed to be the right advice
or comforting words. I soon felt
the obligation to be there for him
and spent a lot of time online.”
After eight months of this,
Alicia was gone. She wasn’t captive yet, physically, but mentally,
she felt compelled to this man.
“This man held me captive
long before he ever put his
hands on me,” Kozakiewicz said.
“He pulled me away from my
support structures and those
that could save me. When I
look back at my missing poster
and the photo on it, which was
taken mere weeks before my
abduction, I can see there is no
‘Alicia’ behind those eyes. It’s like
the lights are on, but nobody’s
home.”
Scott Tyree, Alicia’s abductor, stole her away on New Year’s
Day in 2002 from outside of
her home and drove her to his
house in Virginia. The Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette reported that she
was found tied-up but with no
serious injuries.
The big break in Kozakiewicz’s disappearance came
when Tyree broadcasted an image of Kozakiewicz via computer
webcast to a friend
through the Internet.
The man recognized
the young girl from
local headlines and
posters. He reported
the incident to the
FBI, and Alicia was
found shortly thereafter.
The first place
to s t a r t w h e n i t
comes to protecting children from being preyed upon by
sexual predators is
with parents, according to Kozakiewicz. Parents are on a primary
basis with children, so they have
the most power when it comes
to protecting them.
“Parents should install monitoring software on all computers the child has access to,” Kozak iewicz
said. “It
records
e v e r y
keystroke
and chat
conversation. If the
parent
feels that
this is a
violation
of privacy,
they need
not look
at it every
day. But if
there are
red flags,
or the child
goes missing, it will be a roadmap to where they are.”
Kozakiewicz also advocates
communication between parents and children. A child should
be able to tell a parent or adult
when they feel they are losing
control of a situation.
“Fostering
good communication skills between parents
or guardians
and children is
of paramount
importance,” Kozakiewicz said.
“Children must
know that they
can trust their
parents so that
they can trust
their opinions
and their rules.”
Children,
along with parents, need to
understand the
dangers of Internet usage.
“Education
is also crucial but
Alicia Kozakiewicz
can be a doubleedged sword,”
Kozakiewicz
ment boots on the ground,
said. “The whole
point here is to be pro-active. We training and resources to rescue
can educate our children with- children,” Kozakiewicz said. “We
know where nearly a million
out being fear-mongers.”
However, with depen - people are trading sadistic,
dence on the Internet growing graphic, child pornography
in schools and the workplace all online. Statistically, one-third
around the world, don’t want of those that have been investichildren to be afraid of comput- gated have led to an arrest and
resulted in a child being rescued
ers.
“It’s not necessary to share from the hands of a predator.”
The resources provided
precise statistics with children,
but it’s important for them to from Alicia’s Law have the potenknow why they should not con- tial to save 300,000 children, says
tinue the conversation or why Kozakiewicz, but unfortunately
they shouldn’t meet a stranger funding is limited, and only 2
in person,” Kozakiewicz said. “We percent of these cases are able
must make our children aware to be investigated.
Alicia’s Law was passed in
of the dangers that they face so
they have the ability to protect Virginia and Texas, and it has
been introduced in Pennsylthemselves from it.”
In 2007, Kozakiewicz testi- vania.
“We are working to secure
fied before Congress for the
Protect Our Children Act, and its passage in all 50 states,” Kohelped secure its federal pas- zakiewicz said.
Today, the 23-year-old Kosage. Alicia’s Law is the stateside version of the Protect Our zakiewicz is pursuing a career in
criminal justice with a primary
Children Act.
“It helps to fund the Internet goal of becoming an FBI invesCrimes Against Children task tigator.
force and gives law enforce-
Egan shares stories from book on Dust Bowl survivors at Texas Tech
by SIERRA TAYLOR
editorial assistant
When Timothy Egan set
out to write his fourth book, he
had never seen dirt, wind, and
people quite like those on the
Great Plains.
Egan, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author, presented a lecture on Oct. 12 in the
Allen Theatre at Texas Tech University as part of the 2012-2013
Presentation and Performance
series, sponsored by the College
of Visual and Performing Arts.
In his book, ‘The Worst Hard
Time: The Untold Story of Those
Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl,’ Egan tells the
story of Americans who lived
through the Dust Bowl, a period
of severe dust storms in the
1930s, that caused major agricultural and ecological damage
to the American plains for many
years
“I felt a great sense of urgency to capture this story,”
explained Egan. “It needed to be
told before the people who had
lived through it where gone, taking their stories of this horrific
time with them.”
The book revolves around
seven people who started their
lives in the raw grassland of the
high plains, many of them living in sod house or dug outs,
then moving on to new framed
houses with new shoes and
clothes, to them huddling in
basements trying escape black
blizzards, horrible wind, and
even death.
Interviewing more than 100
people, Egan stumbled upon
stories that had not been told
for half a century. When Egan
had asked the people why they
never told their stories, they
simply said that they didn’t think
anyone would believe it. Their looking for people to settle anyThe railroad companies lands and the price of wheat
lives had been unimaginable where along the railroad lines, would pay for the transporta- went from 50 cents a bushel to
tales, nothing like anyone else and soon they found immigrants tion of immigrants to the United $4 a bushel.
has ever lived through.
from Europe were willing to States, and then the Homestead
“The government was pushBut the real story starts be- pick up their families, and even Act allowed families to get a ing people to grow more wheat,”
fore the dust storms of the 1930s. some towns, and move them full square mile of land to have. said Egan. “There were even
In the late 1800s, the plains had across the world to the American People from all over the world signs in New York that said ‘Eat
an unusually wet period. This led Midwest.
where coming to America to be more bread.’”
settlers and the
The begovernment to
ginning of
believe that the
the downregion’s climate
fall started in
had changed
1929 when the
permanently
stock markets
from the ‘Great
crashed. Even
American Desthough only 2
e r t ,’ a s t h e y
percent out of
thought of it
the 120 million
previously.
people living in
The only
America only
people really
owned stock,
living in this
everyone lost
remote area
money. People
were cowboys
had left their
and ranchers,
savings in the
who ran cattle
smalltown
for years on the
banks, and
grassland.
those banks
“J.D Rockhad invested
efeller sat in
that money
M a n h a t t a n ,”
into the stock
market, caussaid Egan. “eating his steak
ing the econofrom cows that
my to collapse
had been fed
and America to
off grass from
go broke.
the Panhandle.”
In the
It was a
1930s, the
good business, Timothy Egan, author of ‘The Worst Hard Time,’ speaks at Texas Tech’s Allen Theatre on
Great Plains
and as long as Oct. 12.
experienced a
the grass was in
drought. It was
tact, the cattle SIERRA TAYLOR/PLAINSMAN PRESS
not uncommon
economy would
for this region,
thrive.
but when the
S o o n
wind started
enough, the railroads came
“I was astonished to find out able to have land to call their blowing one element was missthrough. They wanted to popu- that Catherine, Kansas, is just a own. Many times, it was the first ing, the grass.
late the Great Plains, but the town from the Russian Vulgar time in their family histories
“When the storms started,
railroad companies were some of region,” Egan said. “It was picked that they owned anything at all. no one knew what they were,”
the main causes of the American up where it was in Catherine, During this time, you could get Egan said.
economy collapsing repeatedly. Russia, and dropped down in rich by being a farmer, Egan says,
Dust storms began to be a
So, the companies were always Kansas.”
so the grasslands became farm normal part of life, says Egan.
Mothers would spend their
whole days sweeping dirt out
of their homes. Grown men
couldn’t shake each other’s
hands, because the static energy
from the dust could knock a
grown man to his knees. Children weren’t allowed to play outside, cattle and horses where left
to die, people had “dust lunacy”
and perfectly healthy children
were dying left and right.
On April 14, 1935, the day
started as a bright sunny day.
People dressed in their Sunday
best and went to church, because they thought the worst
was over. They were wrong. That
afternoon, the storms started
rolling in.
“By the time it reached the
Texas Panhandle, the cloud of
dirt was a mile high and 100
miles wide,” Egan said. “That ladies and gentlemen is the Rocky
Mountains on the move.”
That day will forever be
known as ‘Black Sunday.’ It was
what many would say was the
worst day of the Dust Bowl.
“I wanted this story to be
told from the margins,” said
Egan, “[and] tell the stories of
people who did great things in
an everyday fashion.”
“The Worst Hard Time” won
the 2006 National Book Award
for Nonfiction and the 2006
Washington State Book Award in
History/Biography. The book and
Egan also provided source material for filmmaker Ken Burns’ PBS
documentary, “The Dust Bowl,”
scheduled to air on Nov. 18 and
on Nov. 19 on KTTZ-TV.
“I had times in the prairie
where I could see why people
referred to the grasslands as a
piano,” said Egan. “When you
see the wind moving with the
grass, it’s always like the keys of
a piano.”
8
Feature
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Nigerian author interjects moral conflicts into mythic fantasy
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
Heroes exist in every corner
of literature. But the challenge
for most authors is bringing the
character alive to face moral and
ethical obstacles.
For Marvin Amazon, a Nigerian-born author from England,
the dilemma and complexity of
good and evil is alive inside the
pages of his books.
Amazon left his homeland
of Nigeria as a child when his
father, a university professor,
and mother, a scientist, moved
the family to England.
“I left Nigeria at the tender
age of 10, and my most significant memories of that country
are the traditional ways people
celebrated Christmas, and the
traditional weddings I attended
with my parents,” Amazon told
the Plainsman Press in a recent
interview. “I came (to England)
because my father wanted to
give us - his children - a better
quality of life in the UK. It helped
me significantly as Great Britain
is full of wonderful opportunities. I met lots of people from
all walks of life and learned so
much.”
Amazon, who is an IT professional working in communications, did not intentionally set
out to become an author, but
says he was inspired to begin
writing.
“I enjoyed reading novels
since the age of 5, said Amazon.
“ I particularly loved fantasy and
science fiction. Some of my early
influences were Tolkien and his
majestic book, “The Lord of the
Rings.” Other influences included
Robert Jordan, who wrote “The
Wheel of Time” series of books.
But the author, who made me
decide that I had to be a writer,
was Frank Herbert. After I read
his novel, “Dune,” I immediately
started to imagine all sorts of
possibilities for a vast tale and
then, “The Corin Chronicles”
was born.”
Amazon added that he also
draws inspiration for his books
from the Greek tales that chronicle the adventures of Heracles
and Perseus.
Amazon said that he stretches his imagination with movies,
video games, comics, and other
novels, adding that he credits
the library across the street from
his childhood home in Battersea,
southwest London, with opening his eyes to the engrossing
world of fantasy fiction.
Amazon added that he enjoys weaving his way through
the writing process to bring a
story to life.
“I enjoy the whole creative
process,” Amazon explains. “I
particularly love developing
zon says. “If I haven’t got a word
processor at hand, I use the
voice-recording functionality of
my phone. My general rule is to
at least write for two hours each
day. I usually go way beyond
that, but that’s my rule. “The Corin Chronicles” took me two and
a half months to write, but being
a first- time writer when I wrote
it, there were a lot more revisits
than say, my second novel.”
the reader can believe his or
her words.”
The plot of “ The Corin
Chronicles Series” has many
parallels between the past and
present woven into the fantasy
storyline that is infused with
mythic archetypes, mystery, and
magic, according to Amazon.
“The storyline in the book
discusses a fictitious conflict
that takes place thousands of
years in the past,” said Amazon.
“This conflict lands squarely in
modern day and almost embeds
itself in current day beliefs, but
offers an alternate viewpoint. In
the grand scheme of things, the
story is looking at what power
can do, either in the hands of
those considered good or evil.”
Amazon says that the book
ultimately reflects his personal
concerns and views about the
world, even though the book is
fantasy, adding that to a certain
extent, good or evil is a matter
of perspective.
“The book examines how
the boundaries between good
and evil are often blurred,” said
Amazon. “This could impact
the reader in a number of ways.
Some readers are trained to expect a clear conflict, with a true
protagonist and an antagonist.
I don’t
believe
the world
necessarily works
that way
all the
time, so in
this book,
I decided
to explore
all angles.
I hope the
reader
will appreciate
that and
recognize the
message
the book
is trying
to send
out.”
Amazon said
that some
readers
respond
emotionally to his
theme, recognizing the age-old
struggle of ethics and moral
behavior, along with a tie to survival, while others do not relate
to the characters in the book.
“This is where your characters have to come into their
own,” Amazon explains. “Regardless of what happens, different
readers will take to different
characters, good or bad. It’s happened in the past. I’ve known of
tales where the antagonist is just
as popular as the protagonist.”
Amazon says that, as with
any book, the actions of his
characters define them as soon
as they appear on the page.
“In this book, there are some
who act callously and naturally,”
says Amazon. “The reader will
make their own mind up. With
books, however, some motives
are slowly revealed which may
insinuate different things to
what was initially conceived by
the reader. “The Corin Chronicles” contains such themes. It’s
very likely that a reader could
reach halfway, convinced on
who the heroes and the villains
are, but upon reaching the end,
be as sure.”
Amazon, who is self-published, says that it offers him
advantages that he would not
otherwise have.
“Self-publishing gives you
so much flexibility, and you
can tell your story just as you
imagine it,” says Amazon. “An
example, as with this book, is
the theme of not clearly outlining who’s good and who’s evil.
Traditional publishers might
frown on things like that. Compromises are sometimes a good
thing, but I believe strongly in
my vision of this book series as
a whole, and would like to tell
it my way.”
Amazon said he didn’t set
out to write the novels, but his
continued exploration into the
possibilities for the world of
Corin have” grown exponentially
through space and time.” He said
it now appears that the series
will span at least five novels.
“The Corin Chronicles Volume 2: The Transformation of
Adam Higgins” is expected to
be released in late November,
says Amazon. It will be available
in hardcover, paperback and
Kindle e-books.
“I will also have another
unrelated crime book coming
out the following months,” said
Amazon, who plans to start a
book tour in 2013 in England
and the United States.
For more information on
Marvin Amazon and his books,
view his website at: http://www.
marvinamazon.com/.
two parents around like his
friends. He only had one.
“People say I resemble my
father quite a bit,” says Koopman, “which I think is true. My
memories of him have really
shaped my life.”
Once senior year rolled
a ro u n d fo r K o o p m a n , h e
branched out and started coping with his father’s death by
playing around with cameras
and film.
In his first year of college, he
attended Weatherford College,
before transferring to SPC this
semester with hopes of becoming a radio/TV/film major.
“My father really had nothing to do with which major
I chose,” says Koopman. “He
inspired me to do what I want
with the life I have, and to never
waste an opportunity.”
Koopman says that he has
always been fascinated with
film. In high school, he made a
few short films and decided then
that he really wanted to take it
to the next level when he came
to SPC. He hopes to be able to
write, direct, and edit his own
movies after college.
With his first semester at
SPC almost completed, he continues the path he took in high
school as being a full-time student and works part time as a
waiter at Cotton Patch, paying
his way through school.
“If there is one thing I
learned from my dad, it’s that
you aren’t promised tomorrow,”
says Koopman. “So live the life
you choose.”
number of things, even science
fantasy.”
Amazon says that mythic fiction fits somewhere in
the middle, and that the field
of mythic fiction consists of
works that draw on the timeless
themes and symbolism of world
mythology, medieval romance,
folklore, fairy tales, and the oral
storytelling tradition.
“I believe that the difficulty
in writing fantasy stems from
what sub-genre you’re writing,
“explained Amazon. “Take urban
fantasy, for example. They are
normally set in modern times,
with locations that would be
familiar to the reader. This means
the author can write his or her
story without worrying too
much about detailed worldbuilding. High fantasy, however,
usually involves new worlds,
and the writer’s job is not only
to weave a beautiful story, but
to also build the world so that
Marvin Amazon
both simple and complex characters that seamlessly merge
with your plot. The most fun part
is when you get to those situations that could almost derail
your whole book. Overcoming
those sections and doing so
without cheating the reader is,
to me, what makes someone a
good writer.”
Amazon said he has established a personal writing process
and discipline that works for
him.
“I jot down notes whenever
an idea comes into my head,
regardless of where I am,” Ama-
“The Corin Chronicles Volume 1: The Light and the Dark,
was released in June 2012. It
belongs to a genre that Amazon
says he calls “mythic fantasy.”
“I wanted to create a wholly
unique story that really shifted
perspective between characters that we would typically call
good and evil,” said Amazon.
“Fitting into a genre was particularly difficult. I wrote the story
without thinking of where it fit
into. The story has elements of
contemporary, epic and even
historical fantasy. In all honesty,
different readers could call it a
Student finds inspiration following personal tragedy
by VICTORIA LANDERS
feature editor
home from the cancer, leaving
his only son behind to take on
the world…alone.
For most college students,
“Up until about my junior
enduring hardships hasn’t been
year of high school, it really
a major part of their lives. But
affected me,” says Koopman. “I
for one South Plains College
realized that I had no one to turn
student, an extreme personal
to or talk to.”
burden has
W i t h
pushed
the personal
him further
burden of
than most.
his father ’s
Devon
death hangKoopman,
ing over his
a 19-yearhead, Koopold sophoman tried to
more from
not only stay
We a t h e r occupied, but
ford, lives
help his famevery day
ily through
to the fulltheir tough
est for his
times with a
father.
part-time job.
When
“I didn’t
Devon was
talk to many
a freshman
people after
in high
h i s d e a t h ,”
school, his
says Koopfather, Ray
man. “I spent
Koopman,
most of my
was diagt i m e wo r k nosed with
ing, because
stage four
it kept me the
lung cancer
busiest.”
while at the
Koopdoctor for
man was
removing a
forced to grow
hernia.
up at the very
“From
young age of
that point Devon Koopman perseveres despite adversity in pursuit of his
14, after his
f o r w a r d , career goals.
father’s death,
h e j u s t VICTORIA LANDERS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
because he
got sicker,”
didn’t have
Koopman says of his father. “By
December of 2007, he had a
stroke, and it disabled any possibility he had at getting better.
It was just a waiting game.”
On Jan. 14, 2008, Ray Koopman was pronounced dead in his
9
Feature
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
‘Atlas Shrugged Part II’ explores economics of government intervention
by DEVIN HARGROVE
news editor
Ayn Rand stands as a leader
for the culture that came to oppose the social welfare movement of the 1930’s.
Rand’s ideas and philosophies were popularized in her
book “Atlas Shrugged,” a story
about the struggle for balance
at the cross roads of government
and the people.
“The novel really embodies Ayn Rand’s philosophy,” says David Kelley.
“Which she came to call
objectivism.”
Objectivism can be
surmised in the attempt
to bring empowerment
to people on the individual level.
“The philosophy is
based on a set of really
core principles,” says
Kelley. “Man’s reason as
the power of creativity and guide to action
as opposed to faith.
Secondly the belief in
achievement and creating value as the core
enterprise in human life. And
thirdly the belief in individualism, that individuals exist and
think and pursue goals and
choose their goals as individuals,
with the moral right to pursue
their own lives and happiness.
And finally as a consequence
of all that a strong belief in free
lazier-faire capitalism, in which
government has a limited role of
protecting individual rights.”
Kelley has been busy
promoting the movie “Atlas
Shrugged Part 2” one of three
parts in the “Atlas Shrugged”
movie series.
“It does follow the story very
closely in that the main ideas are
coming through,” explains Kelley. “However it is an adaptation
of a 1000-page novel, in which
each part of the novel is 300
to 400 pages, the adaptation
has to be very condensed, very
selective about what it does. So
there are many sub-plots and
events that were left out and
some characters, but the main
story follows exactly along the
line of the novel.”
to the world that Ayn Rand
envisioned when writing “Atlas
Shrugged” in 1957. However
some of the changes made are
the inclusion of cell-phones and
credit cards and other high-tech
gadgets.
“The core of the story revolves around Daggny Taggart, who is the operating vice
president of Taggart Transcontinental Railroads, and Henry
Reardon a steel producer who
Some changes have been
made to the movie in the way
of modernization and some
changes have been made to
the modern day to fit the story
better.
“Ayn Rand was writing in
the 50’s and even in that era
railroads were declining as a
predominant form of transportation,” says Kelley. “But because
the story begins with a country
that is already in economic
decline, the airlines are just too
unreliable and expensive so
train travel has come back.”
In this respect Kelley explains that the movie keeps
has invented a new metal that
is lighter, stronger, and cheaper
than steel,” explains Kelley of the
stories premise. “Both are business people, highly productive
and highly skilled, and they are
constantly at conflict with the
government which is trying to
regulate them to expropriate
their success. And they are trying to find out why, meanwhile
being faced with the additional
challenge that some of the
greatest minds and producers
in industries keep disappearing,
and that’s what gives rise to the
mystery that Taggart and Reardon are trying to solve.”
Gilbert successfully shifts from
high school to college teaching
by TYLER JOHNSON
sports editor
After spending four years
as a high school teacher, Emily
Gilbert is glad to have made the
move to South Plains College.
In her first semester as a
reading instructor, Gilbert spent
the past four years at Trinity
Christian High School in Lubbock as an English teacher.
She also served as the advisor for the yearbook.
“Being yearbook advisor
was very fun,” says Gilbert. “I had
some really great editors, which
made everything that much
easier on me!”
A graduate of Baylor University, Gilbert was a journalism
major.
“It so happened to be my favorite class!!!” Gilbert says. “I also
minored in Spanish, and concentrated on public relations.”
Gilbert has experienced
many changes when making the
transition from high school.
“One of the biggest changes
I would say, in terms of college
teaching, over high school teaching is, generally, you are teaching
people that want to be here and
want to show up to class,” Gilbert
explains, “not because they have
to be here. It’s just a totally different dynamic.”
Gilbert says that the biggest
thing she had to get used to was
the transition from teaching at
a high school to preparing college-level curriculum.
“The biggest transition, I
think, is classroom teaching,”
says Gilbert. “It’s a lot less instruction time, and you have a lot
more planning time to work out
your curriculum. At Trinity, I had
classes for the duration of the
day. I didn’t have as much planning time as I do now. I taught
from 8:30 a.m to 4 p.m, all week.
I don’t have that much classroom
time now in two days.”
Gilbert seems to like this
new routine, though.
“I love it!!!!!!!!!!!” says Gilbert.
“Put 12 explanations points, I
love this job.”
Gilbert is currently back in
college herself, attending Texas
Tech University and working on
a master’s degree.
Rand proved to be a controversial person at the time, causing a stir amongst the counter
socialist movement of the time
and lambasting popular intellectual movements, says Kelley.
“Ayn Rand was writing very
much against the intellectual
currents of the time, which were
more in favor of welfare, they did
not like Rand,” explains Kelley.
“On the other hand her books
were hugely popular, beginning with “The Fountainhead”
in the 40’s, and “Atlas Shrugged”
in 1957.”
Her books continue to be
popular today, especially in a
time when the worlds economy
is in despair and people are
looking for an answer to such
problems.
“Rand believed in ingenuity,
entrepreneurship, and freedom
and exercise of reason on the
part of individuals,” says Kelley.
“She saw government on the
other hand as an operation
whose essence is the use of
force, which stifles freedom,
which imposes regulations that
no matter the intent discourages
innovation and prevents people
from introducing new productive ideas. She thought that as
government gains more and
more control over an economy,
it squelches individual effort by
taking tax money out, it provides
a negative incentive for people
to keep producing by imposing regulations. It squelches
their intellectual initiative to
continue producing new things
in business, just as censorship
would discourage innovation
in research and science an the
arts.”
Rand wanted to make the
important distinction in the
voluntary interaction of trade
amongst people, and the use of
force, which she described as a
win-lose situation, says Kelley.
“When you take that and
apply it across a society, you get
the typical problems created by
government control,” says Kelley.
“But you also attract people that,
as government gains power, that
want to use power and are adept
at using power in what Rand
called the aristocracy of pull, in
which political influence rather
than real achievement becomes
the route to riches. And so the
bad guys
have a leg
up, and that
is reflected
i n “A t l a s
Shrugged”
where even
though the
heroes are
businessman also are
the villains.”
Kelley
explains
t h at w h at
we are seeing today
is merely a
confirmation of Rands
predictions
against a
welfare
state.
“People
want the
government
to run the
education
s ys te m o r
retirement
system or
invest in energy,” says Kelley.
“However they cannot possibly
succeed and so you have all
these unintended consequences
which cause more government
actions to deal with these consequences and “Atlas Shrugged”
is actually a good lesson on the
economics of government intervention. In fact I know people
who teach economics who use
the book for that purpose.”
There are solutions proposed in the books as well as
outlines for the problems and
Kelley thinks these are just the
solutions we need to repair the
torn fabric of society.
“The most important thing
would be, as the hero of “Atlas
Shrugged” says at one point,
“Get out of my way,” says Kelley.
“We get the government out of
trying to regulate everything,
privatize the welfare programs,
privatize social security, privatize Medicare, and of course
you can’t do that overnight but
move towards privatization. Repeal regulations that stifle business innovation and enterprise.
We need to move the government back in the direction of its
legitimate functions of protecting individual right through
police and national defense and
providing a court system where
people can litigate disputes,
then let people act freely, pursuing their own goals.”
The movie “Atlas Shrugged
part 2” opened in 1,000 theaters,
topping the release of “Atlas
Shrugged Part 1” which opened
in 300 theaters nationwide.
The movie will begin showing locally at the Movies 16 in
Lubbock. The first show times
will be Oct. 25 and will continue
through to Oct. 29.
For more information about
the movie or to find out show
times and purchase tickets visit
www.atlasshruggedmovie.com.
For more information about
Kelley and the Atlas Society
visit their website at www.atlassociety.org.
Monday, Oct 15: Football U Pick’EM results posted in the Game Room!
Monday, Oct 15: .50 (Fifty Cent) lunch at the Baptist Student Ministry Center—11:30am-1:00pm
Tuesday, Oct 16: Free lunch at The Wesley—11:30am-1:30pm
Tuesday, Oct 16: Pickin’ on the Plains! Enjoy live music at Tom T. Hall—12:15pm
Tuesday, Oct 16: Tournament Tuesday! Game Room—4:30-6:00pm
Tuesday, Oct 16: Block Party @ The Wesley!!!! Food! Inflatables! Live Music & Dancing! - 8:00pm
Wednesday, Oct 17: Wednesday Live! in the Sundown Room! Live Music—12:00-1:00pm
Wednesday, Oct 17: Baptist Student Ministry On campus Worship in the Sundown Room—8:00pm
Thursday, Oct 18: .50 (Fifty Cent) lunch at the Baptist Student Ministry Center—11:30am-1:00pm
Friday, Oct 19: Football U Pick’EM due by noon!
Monday, Oct 22: Football U Pick’EM results posted in the Game Room!
Monday, Oct 22: .50 (Fifty Cent) lunch at the Baptist Student Ministry Center—11:30am-1:00pm
Tuesday, Oct 23: Country Jukebox! Enjoy live music at Tom T. Hall – 12:15pm
Tuesday, Oct 23: Free Lunch at The Wesley—11:30am-1:30pm
Tuesday, Oct 23: Tournament Tuesday! Game Room—4:30-6:00pm
Tuesday, Oct 23: RIOT CITY @ The Wesley! 8:00pm
Wednesday, Oct 24: Wednesday Live! in the Sundown Room! Live Music—12:00-1:00pm
Wednesday, Oct 24: Baptist Student Ministry On campus Worship in the Sundown Room—8:00pm
Thursday, Oct 25: .50 (Fifty Cent) lunch at the Baptist Student Ministry Center—11:30am-1:00pm
Thursday, Oct 25: PFLAG Panel—Reese Campus Bldg. 8—7:00pm
Thursday, Oct 25: SPOOKTACULAR HAUNTED HOUSE—Founders Room—6:00-9:00pm
Emily Gilbert is one of the newest faculty members at SPC.
Thursday, Oct 25: COSTUME CONTEST & DANCE—Sundown Room—9:00pm-12:00am
ANDREA LARIMORE/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Friday, Oct 26: Football U Pick’EM due by noon!
10
Feature
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Lubbock authors walk with God through personal crises
by ASHLEIGH WOLBRUECK in the ICU room, where her road
back to recovery began, along
staff writer
with her journey to fulfill what
God still had in store for her on
Most testimonials are about Earth. It was shortly after Donna
people who have lead a tur- began her healing process that
bulent life of crime and then Dick would receive the news that
find God to help them receive
redemption to turn
their lives around.
“Broken Vessel: From Prison to
Purpose” is not that
story, but one of a
couple’s strength
through faith that
helped them persevere through their
trials and heal together to move forward with the purpose God instilled
upon them.
Dick and Donna
Walls spent seven
years working on
their book “Broken
Vessel: From Prison
to Purpose” that tells
the story of a man
wrong fully convicted and imprisoned, and his wife
who supported him
while fighting for
her life with heart
problems. The Walls
are both Christians
who lived God-centered lives. Both
have been active
members in their
church and community. Dick participated in youth ministries for 18 years,
and Donna was involved in children’s
ministries. Anyone who knew his appeal did not go through
the Lubbock couple would not and he would have to serve his
have been able to foresee how two-year sentence in Maine,
their lives would be turned up- away from his wife back home
side down.
in Lubbock.
Dick Walls was very success“The attorney general was
ful in the insurance business, trying to get me for 20 years,
opening up his own business followed by eight years of prowhen they moved to Lubbock bation and having to pay over
in 1991. The Walls lived a very $1 million in restitution,” says
happy and comfortable life Dick. “I was only sentenced to
together until years later when two years, and that was God
a past business juncture came at work.”
back to cause trouble. “Broken
In the couple’s book, Dick
Vessel,” details the long inves- details his time in prison and
tigation and trial process that discusses the inmates, the
lead to Dick Walls’ wrongful guards, the living conditions,
conviction on charges of selling how he received his nickname
securities without a license and “grampy,” and how he never
defrauding his clients. He was hid his faith in God while servimprisoned on Feb. 20, 2003, ing his sentence. He says that
after he was denied the appeal it was not easy to be a Christian
he and his attorney applied for. in prison. There were so many
“I could have settled for a crude and dangerous men with
good deal, but would have had uneasy situations surrounding
to plead guilty,” says Dick Walls, him. Amidst all of this, Dick never
“and I was not going to lie and turned down an opportunity to
say I was guilty for something I share God’s word with anyone.
did not do. The Bible does not
“Most Christians don’t share
condone lying, and we didn’t their faith,” says Dick. “That is a
believe that’s what God wanted shame, because it’s about buildme to do.”
ing the kingdom.”
During the nine months
It was God who was seeing
he was waiting for his appeal Dick through this dark time in his
to possibly go through, he was life, and Dick knew it was his faith
able to stay home with his fam- and trust in Him that would carry
ily. It was at this time that Donna him and his family through this
had her fourth heart attack that situation. Dick discusses some
called for open heart surgery, of the men he met in prison
and then began her fight to and shares the story in “Broken
survive. Donna was rushed into Vessel” of how he lead them to
surgery to correct the problems Christ and saw their lives change.
in her heart. They returned There were hard times that had
Donna to ICU to recover, but to be faced while serving his
then the complications began. sentence, even suffering his own
Donna would be unconscious heart attack while in prison. But
for five days while the doctor he says that he never took one
and nurses watched her and step away from God and trusted
tried to keep her alive, but things in Him to see him through. This
did not look good. This is where is where the bond in Dick and
Donna’s testimony begins.
Donna’s marriage, through their
In “Broken Vessel,” during relationship with Christ, shows
the time she is unconscious, its strength in their story.
Donna recounts walking with
“God called us both in the
the Lord and details her experi- same direction with me in prison
ence of being in his presence. 2,000 miles away from Donna,
The experience is almost inde- who was back home here in
scribable, and there were things Lubbock,” Dick recalls. “He called
she saw that she wouldn’t be us with the same purpose at the
able to even attempt to express. same exact time.”
Her time with the Lord leads up
They knew their purpose
to Him beginning to leave her, was to begin a full-time ministry
and she wants to go with Him.
and share their testimony with
“God told Donna three others. It was because of God
words she did not want to hear,” that they both were able to be
Dick says. “No, not now.”
carried through their trials. Even
Donna found herself back though both of their struggles
were completely different, they
were still the same because of
their bond together with Christ
in the center of their marriage.
Dick returned home in November 2004, when he would
begin his eight-year probation
and begin their ministry together. They knew it would be a
challenge to begin and carry out
while Dick had to be on probation, but it was what God called
them to do, and they trusted in
Him to pave the way.
The Walls spent about a year
preparing their ministry and getting all the right certifications
needed. On March 5, 2005, at
their home church, First Church
of the Nazarene in Lubbock,
they were able to share what
they wanted to do with Broken
Vessel Ministries. They received
so much support and were able
to get a team of people to help
them pursue the vision they had
for their endeavor.
“The name of the book and
our ministry, Broken Vessel, is because we were a broken vessel,”
Dick explains. “We were broken,
and it was through God’s healing
we made it through.”
The first church they gave
their testimonial to was in Hilliard, Ohio in July 2005. They have
travelled across the country sharing their story with thousands of
people. Now they speak at about
an average of 150 services a year.
Broken Vessel Ministries has
video recordings on DVD of Dick
and Donna’s testimonies, along
with Donna’s children’s ministry
video about BJ the Bear. Now
they have “Broken Vessel: From
Prison to Purpose,” the book of
their testimony to share with
others.
Sadly, Donna Walls passed
away on Sept. 23 while in North
Carolina with Dick on a ministry
trip. Her services were held on
Sept. 29 at their home church,
First Church of the Nazarene in
Lubbock. It was an unexpected
and devastating loss to Dick and
their family. Broken Vessel Ministries was started because they
were both called to the same
purpose to share their stories.
“It’s been hard,” Dick says
quietly. “There have been some
long nights. When asked if I am
going to continue the ministry,
I say, “Of course I am.”
Even though Donna is
gone and it is going to take
time for Dick to heal and be
able to continue what they
started, he says that he will see
it to the end and take it wherever God wants him to.
“We played a video of
Donna sharing her story
at her funeral, and while
watching it, I thought, “My
god, she is still witnessing,
even though she is gone,”
Dick says. “I have her story
on video, and she will
still be able to give her
testimony, because it is
such a crucial part to our
ministry. Her story is so
powerful.”
Dick recalled what an
amazing woman his wife
Donna was. There were
several stories about how
she would just give to
anyone who needed or
wanted something that
she could offer. With red
eyes, Dick
speaks of
what a gentle
heart his wife
had.
“She had
the heart of
Jesus,” says
Dick. “At Donna’s funeral, a
woman came
up to me
who had sat
behind us in
a church service one day,
and said she
was in awe of
these beautiful earrings
and necklace
my wife was
wearing. She
said that she
went up and
commented
on them to Donna, and that she
took the earrings and necklace
off and gave them to her for
her to have. Donna wouldn’t
see anyone want if they didn’t
have to.”
Dick and Donna had a
strong and supportive marriage that showed within their
ministry. Dick expressed that it
was because they kept Christ in
the center of their marriage. No
matter what they faced, they
always came back to that center.
It is what kept them going.
“Everything we did, we
wanted people to see Christ
in it,” Dick says referring to the
book.
Dick says that he plans to
continue to promote “Broken
Vessel” and get back out and
share his and Donna’s testimony.
But he knows it won’t be easy
at first. The loss is still so fresh,
and Dick says that he has to remind himself at times that she
isn’t here. His “Baby Cakes,” the
nickname he gave Donna, won’t
physically be there beside him
on the road and at services, but
spiritually she is alive and well.
“I will be speaking at a
church in Abilene on Nov. 4,” Dick
says. “I’m going to show Donna’s
video after I speak, and it will be
hard. But I am going to do it.”
“Broken Vessel: From Prison
to Purpose” can be purchased
by visiting www.westbowpress.
com,or at local and online bookstores.
October 29, 2012
Entertainment
11
Plainsman Press
Maddow offers critical analysis of American attitudes toward military
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
Citizens of the United States
have become too comfortable
with war and are ignoring the
true costs of American warmaking.
In her book, “Drift: The Unmooring of American Military
Power,” author Rachel Maddow
has stepped out of her role as
host for MSNBC’s critically acclaimed primetime hit “The Rachel Maddow Show,” to write in
depth and at length on the role
of the military in modern American society. What she turns up
is newsworthy, not only on its
own merits but
also because so
few Americans
have any direct
knowledge of
what our men
and women in
uniform actually
do.
Maddow
embarks on a
bracing tour of
the rise of the
American military industrial
machine, while
encouraging the
reader to confront the size
and heft of the
national security
complex that has
been built, and
to understand
how its massive
growth is tied
to the wolfish executive
branch’s overreach in usurping the sheep-like Legislature’s
war-making powers. Plenty of
analysts and legal scholars have
been down this path before,
but without Maddow’s joke
parachute.
“Drift” begins with Thomas
Jefferson and his distrust of
the standing army. Only seven
pages later, the reader is in the
thick of Vietnam, and Maddow’s
making the case that Lyndon B.
Johnson changed the rules for
American armed conflict. She
says that LBJ refused to call up
the U.S. Army Reserve and the
National Guard to fight his war,
mostly because “he didn’t want
to get Congress and the rest of
the country all het up and asking
too many questions.”
Maddow points out two
problems with Johnson’s decision. First, it divided the military
from the rest of the country in a
way that previous wars had not.
Since 9/11, less than 1 percent
of the U.S. population has been
called on to serve, altering how
presidents tally the cost of going
to war.
“We’ve never been further
from the ideal of the citizen-soldier, from the idea that America
would find it impossible to go to
war without disrupting domestic
civilian life,” Maddow explains.
She says that it was LBJ who
also set a precedent for sidelin-
ing Congress in the decision
about whether to go to war—a
decision that the Constitution
explicitly gave to the Legislature, not the president. In 1973,
Congress tried to hit back with
the War Powers Resolution, written to reassert its constitutional
prerogative. But, as Maddow
shows, that idea has been kicked
around by every president from
Ronald Reagan (Grenada) to
Bill Clinton (the Balkans) to the
Georges Bush (Saddam) and
Barack Obama (Libya). Congress doesn’t declare war, and
the president sends the troops
anyway.
One of the key turning
points in her narrative on the
military is the uneasy decision to
convert to an all-volunteer force
as the Vietnam War was ending. Maddow notes that was a
time when the Army brought in
sophisticated salesmen to pitch
the institution as a fun, with-it
place to be, since one of the
consequences of Vietnam was
the reluctance to send soldiers
off to get shot.
“The Army was now selling
all the wonderful ways Uncle
Sam and the military could improve your life,” writes Maddow.
“And he wouldn’t even make you
cut your hair that short.”
A centerpiece of “Drift” is
Iran-Contra, or as Maddow calls
it, the “single hyphenated megascandal that created a crisis
from which we still have not
recovered.”
The lasting effect of that
time period is the theory of nearly unlimited executive power
made by then - Attorney General
Edwin Meese. As Maddow puts
it, “Screw Congress[sic].” Meese’s
ideas should have gone by the
wayside with Oliver North’s credibility, but she says they are still
with us thanks to Dick Cheney,
who, as a member of Congress,
insisted that “Iran-Contra was
no crime” since there was there
was nothing that “could constrain a president from waging
any war he wanted, however he
wanted.”
Maddow, in many ways,
makes Ronald Reagan the villain or the head of a gang of villians. With aides such as Cheney
and Donald Rumsfeld, Reagan
stepped up the sword rattling,
and by 1983, nearly put the
United States into a shooting
war with the Soviet Union, while
American soldiers were marching around in places such as Grenada, Lebanon, and Nicaragua.
Maddow is very studied on
“the master of executive-branch,”
Reagan, who was first noticed in
his star parts for World War II propaganda films by the Army Air
Corp. Forty years later, Reagan
appeared to still be in a movie
when he tilted at the windmill
of “Soviet-Cuban militarization”
by attacking Grenada. Maddow reminds the reader
just how thin the justification for bombing
that small island really was: In an Oval
Office speech, Reagan made Grenada’s
new airfield appear to
be Castro’s personal
launching pad, when,
in fact it was built for
tourists with funds from
the British government.
She points out how easy
it is for the government to
make claims that are utterly
ridiculous only in retrospect.
But Maddow
writes that the
Vietnam syndrome persisted.
She points out that
when Colin Powell
was high up in the
Pentagon chain of
command during
the first Gulf War,
he suggested a
policy that drove
the Reaganites to
distraction: Take
half a million troops
along, an overwhelm-
ing force, and make sure you
knew why you were there.
That idea fizzled, and power
shifted into the hands of yet
another president who had no
problem with the idea of military
adventurism in the name of the
greater good.
Maddow writes that “By the
time Bill Clinton left office in
2001, an Operation Other Than
War, as Pentagon forces called
them, could go on indefinitely,
sort of on autopilot—without
real political costs or consequences, or much civilian notice.
We’d gotten used to it.”
With a war in Iraq that
dragged on for eight years,
another in Afghanistan that
has lasted more than a decade,
and talk of still another war in
Iran and Syria, Americans are at
peace with being at
war. Maddow
explains that
not only
has the
United
States
normalized war,
but it is
now a
part of daily existence.
America “has
pushed decision
making
about the use of the military further and further away from the
political debate,” she writes.
Maddow points out the true
costs of American war-mongering, reminding readers that U.S.
citizens are living in a Sovietized,
increasing controlled society
where dissent is suppressed
and reminders of that endless
war – flag-draped coffins among
them – are discouraged.
In “Drift,” Maddow has done
the research and has earned her
central observation that American policy is no longer about
guns vs. butter, but “butter versus margarine—guns get a pass.”
She says that constitutional
safeguards have been eroded
that would have kept guns in
their place, and that the United
States is weaker for this.
Maddow outlines things
that can change the cycle, including making war painful for
the whole country again and
getting rid of the secret military.
She also says that it is an essential factor to quit privatizing
war, and finally, the imperial
presidency must be destroyed
once and for all.
The book is interesting, informative, and hard-hitting. Her
fix-it ideas aren’t facile or smileyfaced, but indicative of the serious project she has taken on in
reaching the American people.
Maddow lays out critical issues in
a way that makes a strong point,
along with making the subject
matter easy to understand
and even amusing with her
descriptions.
I recommend “Drift”
to those who want to
understand how the
military and presidents have trumped
the American people in order to lay
siege around the
world wherever
and whenever
they choose.
It is well worth
the time.
Lost Element rises again, Taproot wows Lubbock crowd
by JOSHUA HARRIS
entertainment editor
Talented bands that both
produce amazing music and put
on a good live performance are
tough to come by.
Lost Element is a band that
can do both, and do them in
style.
Lost Element consists of
Trevor Luthy on vocals, guitar,
and piano, Brian Barrett on
drums, Trace Sisson on guitar,
and Omar Lopez on bass and
vocals. The band was formed
in 2001 in order to enter a high
school talent show. At the time,
Matt Battle was the lead guitarist
and vocalist.
The band released their album, “Somewhere in Between,”
in 2004. The band re-formed in
2010 and began writing new
music. They then released a sixsong EP titled “Back Again.” In
2011, the band won the Texas
Buzz “New Band of the Year”
award, followed by their release
of their second album, “Return
to Solitude.”
The alternative rock band
hails from Houston, but they
haven’t limited to just the Houston area. The band travels across
the Lone Star state and has
played with the likes of Chevelle,
Hoobastank, Trapt, Eve 6, Fuel,
and Awolnation. The band’s influences include Muse, Third Eye
Blind, and Silverchair.
Lost Element was recently
in Lubbock on Oct. 23 for a show
at Jake’s Back Room in Lubbock
with Saint Diablo and In This
Moment. They definitely put on
an amazing show and had such
a great stage presence. I recommend checking them out if they
are performing near you.
On Oct. 10, Jake’s Back Room
was rocked and shredded to the
bone as Nonpoint, Taproot, Black
Oxygen, and Six Gun Sound put
on a tough show.
The show opened with Six
Gun Sound, followed by Black
Oxygen. Next up was Taproot,
who put on a fantastic show.
Their set list included: “Smile,”
“Myself,” “I,” “Path Less Taken,”
“Fractured (Everything I Said Was
True),” “Good Morning,” “No Surrender,”“Again & Again,”“Release
Me,” “The Everlasting,” “Calling,”
“Birthday,” and “Poem.”
When the band started off
their set, the crowd exploded
as soon as the first chord of
“Smile” was played. The band
kept the audience involved
and enthralled with their performance on “Again & Again,”
“Fractured (Everything I Said Was
True),” and their new heartfelt
song “The Everlasting.” Their
performance was topped off
Taproot guitarist Mike DeWolf plays a riff from one of the band’s
many hits at a show on October 10 at Jake’s Backroom in
Lubbock.
JOSHUA HARRIS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
by one of their bigger early-day
songs, “Poem.”
Nonpoint’s set list included: “Mindtrip,” “Victim,” “I Said
It,” “What A Day,” “Your Signs,”
“Miracle,” “Left For You,” “Broken
Bones,” “Endure,” “Rabia,” “Witness,”“Hands Off,”“The Wreckoning,” and “Bullet With a Name.”
Nonpoint kept the excitement
that was rallied by Taproot and
the other openers going when
they opened with “Mindtrip.”
They also had many singing
along with “What A Day.”
The rest of Nonpoint’s set
had the crowd journeying from
their early days as a band all the
way to the present. They ended
with their biggest hit, “Bullet
With a Name.”
In other music news, Bullet
For My Valentine has released a
new song titled “Temper Temper.” The brilliant song will be on
Bullet’s new album, which is set
to release in early 2013.
Depeche Mode announced
that they would be releasing an
album in early 2013. The
band already has
a European
tour set
up, and
looks to
be working on
a North
American tour
as well.
Ellie
Goulding will kick
off her “Halcyon
Days” Tour in 2013,
with her first stop on Jan. 16 in
Miami. The tour, named after
her album latest album release,
“Halycyon,” will be heading to At-
lanta, Chicago, Boston and other
stops for the North America
leg of the tour, which also will
include stops in Canada.
Flyleaf lead singer Lacey
Sturm has announced
that she will be
leaving the
band. Sturm
says that
she wants
to live life to
the fullest
and spend
more time
with her family. The band
will release
their third
studio album
and final Sturm album,
“New Horizons,” on Oct. 30. Former Vedera singer Kristen May
will be stepping in for future
tour dates.
12
Entertainment
October 29, 2012
Plainsman Press
‘Sinister’ pushes viewers to edge of seat with disturbing plot
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
A family of four is standing
under a tree with bags over their
heads and nooses around their
necks.
A figure that can’t be seen
on camera is slowly cutting a
tree limb to act as a counterweight. As the branch starts to
fall to the ground, the family
rises up and gets strangled. The
film cuts as the last family member kicks one final time.
With this opening alone,
the new horror film, “Sinister,”
has lived up to its name.
“Sinister” stars Ethan Hawke
as Ellison Oswalt, a true-crime
novelist who has just moved
with his
wife and
kids to
a new
town so
that he
can investigate
the family’s murder and
disappearance
of their
daughter, who
was mysteriously
missing
from the
video and
hasn’t
been seen since.
While he had a hit crime
book 10 years before, Ellison
has been struggling for another
bestseller since. So, he figures
that if he can solve the missing
girl’s case and find out why her
family got murdered, it would
make up for all the moving
around he has made his family
do to support his career, including moving them into the house
that the family was murdered in,
despite how sick it is.
On their first night in the
house, he goes upstairs to the
attic and finds a box labeled
“home movies.” Inside, there is
a projector and several canisters
of Super 8 film. Out of curiosity,
he brings them downstairs with
him to watch later.
While his wife Tracy (Juliet
Rylance) gets ready to go to
sleep, he tells her that he is going to start setting up his office.
He meticulously starts to pin
pictures from the case file up to
his board, including the morgue
photos of the family, and hangs
a sheet up so he can watch the
film he found.
The first one, labeled “Family Hanging Out ’11,” is the same
footage shown at the beginning of the film of the family
being hung outside. Obviously
disturbed by what he just saw,
he calls the police to report
the video. But, while waiting to
get patched
through, he
walks by his
bookshelf,
sees his
bestselling
novel, and
hangs up,
deciding
h e wo u l d
rather solve
the case
alone and
use it for his
book.
O n e
by one, he
watches
the rest of
the films,
all labeled
to look like
innocent home movies, when
they are really hinting at the
brutal ways the families in them
have been murdered. As he digs
deeper, he finds that in all the
cases, there has been at least
one child in the family that disappeared after the murder of
their family.
But it isn’t until he watches
“Pool Party ‘66” that he sees a
dark figure with an unnatural,
demonic face that he gets even
more upset. From then on, he
starts to look for that figure in
each of the films, and is horrified to find out that the face
appears in all of them for brief
moments.
However, he starts to dig
too deep. He wants to see the
figure more and more, so he
pening around his house. He has
to figure out if he is just going
ie out there that has both scared
me and deeply disturbed me at
prints out pictures of him, but
doesn’t put together the connection between seeing the
figure and strange things hap-
insane, or if he has stumbled on
to something that isn’t worth a
bestselling novel.
There hasn’t been any mov-
the same time. There is something truly disturbing about
this movie. Maybe it’s because
of how real the footage of the
Rap duo brings fresh beats in first full album
by ALEX MASON
staff writer
If you are tired of hearing
the same rappers rap about the
same thing, then it is time to
hear something new and under
the radar.
“The Heist,” by Macklemore
and Ryan Lewis, brings back
the idea of telling stories and
showing emotion through rap
and rhyme.
You may be asking, who are
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis?
But the first time you listen to
one of the songs off their first
collaborative full album you will
not be able to resist from listening to the rest.
Ben Haggerty, better known
by his stage name, Macklemore,
grew up in the suburbs of Seattle
Washington and gradated with
a bachelor’s degree from The
Evergreen State College. Macklemore is the lead rapper in the
album and is often followed by
Art House Alley: Promising film from
Mexico comes to Lubbock for festival
by DEVIN HARGROVE
news editor
With a smaller amount of
viewers to draw from, it is a rare
gem for Lubbock to host a foreign film such as “El
Premio.”
“El Premio” will
be presented by Flatland Film on Nov. 3,
part of the Louise
Hopkins Underwood
Center for the Arts.
The film, which
translates to “ The
Prize”, is an awardwinning film from
Mexico directed and
written by Paula
Markovitch. With
this movie, Markovitch is making her
first feature-length
film debut, having
directed two shorts
prior.
The film tells the
story of 7-year-old
Ceci and her mother Lucia, who live
in Argentina. Lucia
is hiding with her
daughter from military repression taking place in Argentina.
Things become complicated when Ceci begins to reveal
through a school project the
secrets she doesn’t fully understand, that they are in hiding
and that her mother is a political
activist. These secrets begin to
come out after Ceci is selected
to participate in her school’s
patriotic essay contest, in which
she criticizes the army.
The story is a somber and
thought-provoking tale of a free
spirit trying to flourish despite
the shackles of an oppressive
military regime.
murdered families looked, but
the movie brings this dreadful,
evil feeling with it that pushes
it much further than a simple
horror movie.
It did have a few of the
same, reliable, jump-worthy
scares, but it brought in new
ones as well. The combination
of scary and gut-wrenching
moments made this all the more
tough to watch.
“Sinister” was released on
Oct. 12, and I give it 4 out of
5 stars. The movie did exactly
what it’s supposed to do as a
horror film. It scares you, makes
you wish you hadn’t seen it, and
stays with you until way later.
But, I don’t recommend this to
anyone under 18, because the
graphic videos of the murders
aren’t really something for the
kids to watch.
The film is an autobiographical tale of Markovitch’s
childhood. As such, the directorial style and writing has been
hailed by critics as realistic and
enthralling.
The film features performances by actors Laura Agorreca, who plays Lucia, and
first-time actress Paula Galinelli
Hertzog, who stars as Ceci.
I have high expectations for
this film to be successful during the Lubbock showing. This
movie should appeal to anyone
interested in the history of human conflict, as well as anyone
who enjoys good drama.
The film
will be pre sented at the
Fire House
Theater at the
Louise Hopk ins Underwood Center
for the Arts,
located at 511
Ave. K in Lubbock.
Tickets for
the presentation are $10
for general admission and
$5 with a student discount.
Showtime is at
7 p.m.
For more
information
about this film
or the LHUCA,
visit www.flatlandfilm.org.
different featured rappers on
his songs to add a different flare
for each.
Ryan Lewis is the producer
of both “The Heist” and their earlier EP “VS. Redux.” He is a good
friend of Macklmore, as they
share the hometown of Seattle,
Washington.
“The Heist” was released on
iTunes on Oct. 9 and was quickly
leading the way in top sales for
albums. Being in even the top
10 of iTunes album downloads
is no mere feat to overlook, especially when the likes of the top
contenders are Mumford and
Sons, Jason Aldean, and Jamey
Johnson. Being number 6 on
the list a week after the album
was released says a lot about
the fans of Macklemore and
Lewis, considering the duo is still
somewhat unknown (however,
not for long).
With 15 tracks lasting just
about an hour and featuring 10
different artists, “The Heist” has
different sounds that make you
ponder your life.
There is no album title song.
However “Ten Thousand Hours,”
the first song on the album mentions the actual words “the heist.”
As the album opener, it tells the
story of how Macklemore made
it to where he is today and the
struggles he went through. The
title of the song also follows
the idea that if you work 10,000
hours, then you have mastered
what you spent all that time
working on. In the song, Macklemore explains how he is so
close to 10,000 of rapping that
he can taste it.
The third song on the album
is one of my favorites its called
“Thrift Shop.” It has a personal
meaning for me, because back
home, my friends and I would go
thrifting all over the Dallas-Fort
Worth area. You could call Macklemore a hipster if you wanted
to, but he wears thrift clothes
like other celebrities wear their
name-brand stuff. He talks about
how buying a $50 tee shirt that
five other people in the club are
wearing is getting swindled by
the business. The flow of “Thrift
Shop” is quick and catchy and it
has good instrumentals.
The last song on the album
catches you off guard at first,
with an old-school western
sound. It talks about remembering the time and the people
in the lives of Macklemore and
Lewis. Macklemore talks about
acquaintances he met who
turned into friends and if they
will remember him. Although
the lyrics make the song sound
sad, to me it feels like a way of
bringing the album to a close
and slowing down the tempo to
make it fit the placement of the
song in the album.
Overall, the “The Heist” has
15 different tracks with 15 different styles, and covers a very wide
range of ideas. Some of the different ideas range from agreeing
with same sex marriage, working and making money, and an
entire song called “Wing$” that
talks about Nike shoes.
I would recommend “The
Heist” to anyone who is looking
for a good rap album that has
good meaning and fast-paced
rhymes. Also, if you are looking
for an album that is less mainstream and more personal, then
this album is for you.
Considering that “The Heist”
has been on repeat on my iTunes
since its release date and I still
find every song even more enjoyable, I would give the album
a 5 out 5 stars.
13
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Rice provides violent twist to childhood tale in ‘Claiming Sleeping Beauty’
by CAITLIN WELBORN
editorial assistant
Sleeping Beauty is a favored childhood story. But all it
took was one book to ruin that
memory.
“Claiming Sleeping Beauty”
was first printed in in 1999, but it
has recently made a comeback
since the book “Fifty Shades of
Grey” was published.
“Claiming Sleeping Beauty”
tells another side to Sleeping
Beauty’s story. Anne Rice tells
a more erotic and violent side
of her story, instead of Disney’s
movie that’s full of singing and
laughing. Rice’s rendition of
Sleeping Beauty’s story is filled
with erotic scenes that, as she
describes in a note in the book,
are made for men and women. I
agree that she wrote it in such a
way that perhaps both men and
women might read it. But along
with the erotic scenes comes the
violent scenes.
Instead of the Prince Charming kissing Beauty in a traditional sense, Rice presented a
more adult scene of the Prince’s
attempts to awaken her. After
awakening her, he takes her
back to his kingdom in a different land, but not to be his wife,
rather to be his sex slave. Rice
creates a world of her own in
this trilogy.
Rice has written other books,
such as “Interview with a Vampire,” “Queen of the Damned,”
and “The Witching Hour,” earning
her a reputation for entertaining
her readers.
This book will certainly
change your view of the child-
hood Disney movie. This book is
either a book you will love or a
book you will hate.
Many of the scenes were
too much
for me to
read at one
sitting. The
violence
portrayed
in it was offensive for
me. But
instead of
just cre ating an
erotic atmosphere,
many of
her scenes
in
the
book that
have to do
with sexual
desire become cruel
a n d h a rd
to read
without
taking it
the wrong
way.
During
Beauty’s time at the castle, she
meets many people who she is
told are there to help her. Out
of those people, there is only
one with her interests at heart.
They met on the night she was
brought to the castle.
Prince Alexi is the most
honored slave of the queen, her
favorite, in fact. After her time
trying to entertain the queen,
Prince Alexi takes Beauty away
to a hidden place in the castle
to tell her of his first few months
there. With his story comes a
lesson that Beauty should not be
too arrogant, because the consequences are much greater than
A disproportionately few
movies can pull off quality drama in the same way as “Argo.”
Ben Affleck has stepped
into the arena and managed to
pull off a near five-star production with his most recent directorial debut since “The Town”
in 2010.
His latest work takes a look
at the dynamics surrounding
the rescue of six hostages from
the Canadian Embassy in Iran
during the 1979 Iran hostage
crisis, specifically the incident
that became known as the “Canadian Caper.”
The Iran hostage crisis occurred when the people of Iran
stormed the American consulate. What was supposed to
be a peaceful sit-in protest on
the part of a group of college
students, known as the Muslim
Student Followers of the Imam’s
Line, ended up becoming a
violent takeover of the United
States Embassy when the Iranian
people, in support of the Iranian
revolution and led by the exiled
Ayatollah Khomeini, stormed
the U.S. Embassy and took 52
embassy employees as hostages
for a span of 444 days.
This is the point at which the
movie begins, with the escape
of six of the employees from the
embassy before the takeover.
These individuals managed to
take shelter at the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor,
who harbored them for 79 days
at great risk to himself and his
family.
The focus of the movie is on
the events leading up to and the
rescue of these six through an
elaborate plan to create a fake
film. Using the guise of scouting
locations for the film titled “Argo,”
a sci-fi movie with a Middle
Eastern theme, CIA agent Tony
Mendez (played by Affleck) was
sent in
with fake
Canadian
passports
and disguises
to extract the
group.
A f fleck does
a splendid job
not only
directing,
but also
producing and
acting in
the film.
His recent
performances
and other
directorial
work have
proven
that Affleck is
s t e p ping into
the big
the sex slaves are sent to the village near the castle, where they
are used as playthings and labor
for the summer.
The village is a hushed topic
in the castle. It is a place where
the sex slaves of the castle never
want to go. The people of the
village, as well as those in the
castle, show a brutality that is
almost barbaric. The villagers are
allowed to treat the slaves any
way they choose for the entire
summer.
Rice’s rendition of Sleeping
Beauty’s story is disturbing and
has almost ruined a childhood
favorite movie of mine. Her gruesome tale is so full of violent and
cruel scenes that it is almost too
much to handle in print form.
I would not recommend
reading this book. If you would
still like to read this book, then
just check it out of the library.
Do not waste your money on
this book. Trust me, it is not
worth it.
Tegan and Sara put on amazing
Dallas show with new, old music
by DESI SANCHEZ
staff writer
she wishes to pay. Alexi speaks
about the cruel treatment he
endured after displeasing the
queen and spending time with
the kitchen help. He speaks of
the rape he endured and many
other gruesome details.
I n “C l a i m i n g S l e e p i n g
Beauty,” the queen brings many
princes and princesses to her fair
land, as payment for the debt
their parents owe the queen.
She teaches them to be “humble”
by putting them in a position
Affleck delivers intense political
drama in rescue thriller ‘Argo’
by DEVIN HARGROVE
news editor
that will help take away their
arrogance of their title in life.
She belittles them to the point
of utmost cruelty.
The queen makes the
princes and princesses of other
lands the playthings among the
people in the castle. Her and her
people strip the slaves of all they
are, literally leaving them with
nothing, not even the clothes
on their backs. She demeans and
humiliates the royalty from other
lands. If they are bad enough,
leagues from the mild celebrity
idol he was during the early to
mid 2000’s, and finding his place
in the business of film making.
The film has a darkly rich
feel to it, as one is thrust into
the thick of the action from the
opening scene. The movie manages to fit in laughs from time to
time, but even those moments
are somber.
An all-star cast also helps
to boost this film’s credibility.
Names such as Alan Arkin, John
Goodman, and Victor Garber
flesh out a roster of new and
up-and-coming actors to make
the film’s talent complete.
For history buffs, this movie
should have a big appeal, especially since this bit of history only
became declassified during the
Clinton Administration. The film,
for the most part, is historically
accurate, although small liberties have been taken with minor
details in order for the film to
flow better on the big screen.
I had no real problems with
the movie. The acting was superb and the drama was very
well planned, leaving few moments for the audience to rest.
Even though the outcome of
the movie is known to anyone
familiar with the incident, I still
found myself tense in my seat
as the final part of the movie
dramatically played out.
The only issue I had was that
toward the end of the movie, the
pacing began to lag. However,
as this accounted for a mere five
minutes of the film, I feel that
it shouldn’t have this fact held
against it.
The intense nature, and
sometimes-graphic detail, of the
events may keep this from being
a film to take the kids to. Younger
teens should be fine with the
subject matter.
Overall, I give this film four
out of five stars and recommend
that anyone looking for a good
drama check it out.
DALLAS -- Thirteen years. Six
albums. Two sisters.
Add that up and you have
the Indie-rock sensation that
has become known as Tegan
and Sara.
The twins made a special
stop in Dallas on Oct. 11 on their
way to the big Austin City Limits
festival.
As many Tegan and Sara
fans filled the Annette Strauss
Square, an outside venue in the
downtown Dallas arts
district, opening band
Speak took the stage.
Unfortunately, there’s not
much to say about Speak
as their sound and lyrics
were generic and mediocre at best. They didn’t
have any lasting impact.
The crowd, though respectful, barely moved. It
was clear that everyone
was merely waiting for
the band to finish up so
they could get to the
main attraction.
After a long, 45-minute set
from Speak and another 15 or
20 minutes of set up and sound
check, it was time for the band
that the majority of the eager
crowd was there to see. Tegan
and Sara. They opened up the
show with their song “Arrow” off
of their 2009 album, “Sainthood,”
which really helped to liven the
audience up and set the stage
for an amazing show.
The sisters played an array
of songs from their past four
albums. The second song of the
evening was “Walking With a
Ghost,” off of their 2004 album,
“So Jealous.” They also played
“Not Tonight” and “Living Room”
from their 2003 album, “If It Was
You.”
At one point, they decided
to introduce their band members, and, to my surprise, I found
out that their drummer was
Jason McGerr, who also plays
drums for the band Death Cab
for Cutie. McGerr had played
drums on their last two albums,
but as Sara pointed out during
the introductions, this was the
first time they brought him out
on tour with them.
2013. Three of these new tracks I
hadn’t heard of until the concert:
“I’m Not Your Hero,”“I Was a Fool,”
and “Messed Up.”The fourth new
song they played was their new
single “Closer,” which was just
released on Sept. 20. From what
I have heard so far, I cannot wait
for this album to come out.
The lit buildings of downtown Dallas and the cloudy sky
overhead provided the perfect
setting for an enjoyable, intimate concert experience. They
played a diverse setlist with
plenty of their hits, several new
My favorite part of the show
was when they sang their songs
“Body Work” and “Feel It in My
Bones.” I did not anticipate that
they would play these two songs,
because they are not technically
Tegan and Sara songs. “Body
Work” is a song that the sisters
did with DJ Morgan Page, and
was featured on his 2012 album
“In the Air.” “Feel it in My Bones”
is a song that was released on
DJ Tiesto’s 2009 album, “Kaleidoscope.”
The duo also played four
new songs off of their new album, “Heartthrob,” which will
be released sometime in January
songs and even a few old ones
from before they hit it big. The
playful banter between songs
kept the emotion from getting
too overwhelming, and it kept
things fun as well.
The show was amazing, and
I am thankful that after eight
years of listening to this band,
I finally got the opportunity to
see them.
The night before this show,
the sisters had played with The
Black Keys, and after ACL, the
girls will be playing several dates
with The Killers. So if you have a
chance to check them out, I definitely recommend doing so.
Final Cut: Theaters offer scary
treats in time for Halloween
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
From the candy to the creative costumes, Halloween is
a favorite holiday for many
people.
Another great thing about
Halloween is all the scary movies
that are on TV that play one after
the other.
But this Halloween, why not
watch something you haven’t
seen yet? Sure, the “Nightmare
on Elm Street” and “Child’s Play”
marathons never get old, but
there are
ac tually a
couple of
scary movies that are
coming
out in theaters just in
time for Halloween.
One of those films
is “Sinister.” Released on
Oct. 12, “Sinister” stars
Ethan Hawke as a writer
who has just moved his family to a new town and house.
Upon his arrival, he finds a
mysterious box of old film that
shows the grisly murders of
several different families, all of
which have a child missing from
the murder scene. He then has to
attempt to solve the case while
strange things begin to happen
to him and his family.
Another new movie is “Paranormal Activity 4,” which hit the
screens on Oct. 19. Going back
into the complicated timeline
the film follows, it takes place
after the events in the first and
second “Paranormal Activity”
movies and follows Alex (Kathryn Newton), who get tangled
into the storyline by living near
an area where one of the films
takes place. Naturally, she starts
to experience the same haunting activity in her house and tries
to figure it out.
For those who don’t
remember, Katie (Katie
Featherston) is the
main point in all
the films of the
franchise, as she
was the one who
got possessed in
the first film and
has haunted her
family and friends
since. According to
the third film, it was
arranged that her sister
was originally offered as a
sacrifice to fulfill a wish that
her ancestors had made when
they were children.
“Silent Hill: Revelation 3D”
was released on Oct. 26. “Silent
Hill,” the film follows Heather
Mason (Adelaide Clemens) as
her and her father had already
fled to avoid the violent forces
surrounding Heather that she
still doesn’t understand. But
after being constantly haunted
by nightmares and the disappearance of her father, Heather
finds out that her life up to that
point had been a lie. When she
figures that out, she goes to another dimension in Silent Hill to
find out the real origin of her life
and why she is being haunted by
so many bad things.
Lastly, horror classic “Halloween” was re-released as a
holiday treat on Oct. 25. Everyone knows the story of Michael
Myers and how he butchered
his own family, except for his
sister Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Years later, he comes back to
Haddonfield to finish what he
started before.
While I recommended before to watch something different, I didn’t mean not to go
to that special re-release. No
Halloween is complete without
watching this John Carpenter
classic, and now it’s even better
because it’s in a theater!
So, what are you doing this
Halloween?
14
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
‘Paranormal Activity 4’ lacks creativity, new scare factor
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
A creak in the night. A mysterious shadow. The feeling in
your stomach that gives you the
idea that you aren’t alone.
Thanks to the yearly release
of the “Paranormal Activity”
movies, fans of the films are no
strangers to the late-night paranoia they can bring.
By now, everyone knows
the story. According to the
third movie, when Katie (Katie
Featherston) and Kristi (Sprague
Grayden) were younger, Kristi
and Katie were being haunted
by a demon as part of a deal their
ancestors made.
The second movie takes
place 20 years later when the
same hauntings are taking place
again, but this time to Kristi and
her family. Kristi’s husband Dan
(Brian Boland) makes a drastic
decision to save his wife, which
is what leads to the events of
the first film.
In the original “Paranormal
Activity,” Katie and Micah set up
cameras to pick up the strange
activity that happens when they
sleep. Unbeknownst to them,
Dan had passed the demon on
to Katie, which is why the attention has been focused on her.
Shaky camera footage, night
vision, and bodies being dragged
around houses later, and the rest
is history.
Since no characters from the first
three movies are really around to continue that thread of
the story, “Paranormal Activity 4,” brings
the story to 2011 as it
follows Alex (Kathryn
Newton), a teenager
who begins to get unnerved by the almost
constant presence of
her neighbor, a little
boy named Robbie
(Brady Allen). While
Robbie has some times popped up at
her little brother’s
games or even in her
own tree house, her
parents find no reason to be afraid of
him.
One night, Alex
wakes up to see an
ambulance outside of Robbie’s
house. According to her mom
(Alexondra Lee), something happened to Robbie’s mom, so he is
going to be staying with them
for a few days until she gets out
of the hospital.
After a string of events,
including Robbie and Alex’s
brother Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp)
to pick up even stranger things
than she knew were really going on.
camcorders or even tripods. The
modern technology makes the
viewer subconsciously connect
talking to Robbie’s invisible
friend Toby, Alex decides (as
they all do in these films) to set
the computers around the house
to record all the time. With the
help of her boyfriend, Ben (Matt
Shively), Alex’s computers start
There are a few things about
this movie that were really great
that will help advance the storyline. For example, everything
that was recorded was done
with iChat or FaceTime technology, rather than with hand-held
what they have to what is being
seen in the film, which adds to
the suspense and tension.
Along with that, the family
has a very common alarm system setting which announces
what door is being opened at
that time. This feature in the film
can easily be enough to make
someone want to rip out their
alarm before hearing, “Front
door open” again.
And of course, there were
the reliable jump scares. From
shadows quickly passing by the
camera to figures moving in the
infra-red tracking dots during
the night vision scenes, it had
plenty of scares.
But, ultimately, it had too
many faults. The idea for the
film was a good one, and it had
a lot of potential. But it wasn’t
executed well. After awhile,
it explains why they’re going
after this seemingly random
neighbor. But, for the most part,
it seems like the writers were
struggling to find another angle
to take the plot.
“Paranormal Activity 4” was
released on Oct. 19, and I give it 3
out of 5 stars. It wasn’t as good as
the first or third installments, but
it wasn’t as awful as the second.
The suspense and scares are still
there, but if the writers have to
keep grasping at straws, they
should probably just stop and
let the series end before it gets
even more drawn out.
Theatre students bring fiction to life in ‘Out of Sight, Out of Murder’
by SIERRA TAYLOR
editorial assistant
As an author writes his newest murder mystery, the characters seem to leap right off the
page.
The South Plains College
theatre program presented
“Out of Sight, Out of Murder,”
by Fred Carmichael, on Oct 18
– Oct 21, in the Helen DeVitt
Jones Theatre for the Performing
Arts in the Christine DeVitt Fine
Arts Center on the Levelland
campus.
In “Out of Sight, Out of Murder,” an author is staying at the
house his book is set in. The
book is about seven characters
gathered together for the reading of a recluse’s will. When a
strange turn of events makes
the book come to life, the author
is hurled into a night filled with
murder, romance, and humor.
The play presents a great story
with loveable characters.
The story begins as author,
Peter Knight [played by Jerrod
Morrison pulled off
Jesko], sits in an
her character wonisolated house
derfully, bringing
located in Verthe right amount
mont, which is deof sass and class to
scribed as straight
the stage.
out of an Edgar
A damsel in
Allen Poe poem.
distress
is needed
Knight is attached
for
any
good
story,
to his typewriter
and
that
is
exactly
as he writes the
the role Kay Kelsey
beginning of his
[played by Regan
new murder mysHarrell] plays.
tery book, only
Kelsey is a sweet
worrying about
young woman who
deadlines and
everyone falls in
typing his fastlove with. She is
est. Soon, Knight’s
the only living relaproblems quickly
tive to the recluse
escalate when a
and quickly turns
freak electrical
into a love interest
storm brings his
characters to life. Colby Crisp, Regan Harrell, Zach Haynie, Lecil Flynn, Laura Morrison, and Jerrod Jesko for Knight. Harrell
makes this charJesko played this performing “Out of Sight, Out of Murder,” on Oct. 21 at the Helen Devitt Jones Theatre
acter
easy to love,
par t per fectly, in the Fine Arts Center at South Plains College.
playing
the part
keeping the play JAYME WHEELER/PLAINSMAN PRESS
with
perfect
innoflowing while so
cence.
[played by Laura Morrison], an basic steps that every murder
much went on.
The phrase “The butler did
The first fictional character older flirtatious matron. She mystery takes. Lydia is married
it”
gets
put to use in this play.
to appear out of the book is Lydia helps guide Knight through the to Jordan Dillingham [played by
CogBurn
[Zach Haynie] is the
Jake Quintanilla], the crooked
loveable
butler
who seems to
lawyer and reader of the will.
James makes ‘Here Comes the
Boom’ humorous, enjoyable
by CAITLIN WELBORN
editorial assistant
Kevin James has made a
career out of staring in diverse
comedy films. But, “Here Comes
the Boom” challenges him differently with comedy and athleticism.
In his latest role,in the movie
“Here Comes the Boom,” James
has become an inspiration. He
plays a high school biology
teacher named Mr. Voss who
is willing to fight for his school
after he finds out that they are
cutting the music program. The
school he works for has lost its
drive to really teach kids, making
everything a lost cause. But the
kids come for the music because
the music teacher, Mr. Streb
(played by Henry Winkler), really
cares about his students and will
do anything to make them succeed.
After no
one shows up at
a meeting that
M r. Voss and
Streb have set
up, Voss must
now come up
with a new
p l a n to s ave
his friend’s job.
So Voss picks
up another
job to try and
raise money for
Streb. But he
soon realizes
they won’t make
enough money
without taking
risks. Voss goes
over to a friend’s
house and
watches a UFC
fight with them.
He learns that if he loses a fight,
then he will make 10 grand. But
if he wins, it becomes 50 grand.
So Voss becomes an entry-level
UFC fighter.
After participating in some
entry-level fights, Voss gets a
trainer to teach him how to lose
better so that it’s not a complete slaughter. Word gets out
about what Voss is doing for his
students and the school, and
he gets invited to a UFC fight in
Las Vegas after one the fighters
drops out of a fight coming up.
So Voss takes a chance and does
the fight.
As in any predictable movie,
in the end, Voss saves the school
and Streb keeps his job.
This movie is very predictable and has a storyline rather
similar to that of the movie “Warrior” that came out in 2011. “Here
Comes the Boom” is similar, but
James adds more humor to this
movie to make it a little less
on the serious side. This movie
wasn’t necessarily a bad movie.
It is just very predictable, but
clean to take your kids to if you
so wish.
I give this movie 3 stars out
of 5.
have every one’s best interest
in mind throughout the story.
He always seems to have an
alibi when a murder is committed. But it seems alibis can be
bogus, and the unexpected can
be the killer. Haynie brings this
character to life in a fantastic
way, playing both sides of this
character perfectly.
Also popping up in the
spooky living room to add to
the strange moments is Fiona
[played by Jaslyn Diaz], a godly
women who hates everyone
and everything. Dick Stanton
[played by Colby Crisp] is an
earnest young man with nothing but money and Kay on his
mind. Addie [played by Aurora
Carrillo] is a young maid who
seems to always be in the midst
of trouble, and Minna [played by
Lecil Flynn] is the housekeeper,
the only one who cannot see or
hear the fictional characters.
“Out of Sight, Out of Murder” captured your attention
the whole time and was a great
showcase for the talents of the
SPC theatre students.
Sports
Plainsman Press
15
October 29, 2012
Hypnotherapist Stofka helps athletes get heads in game
by JORDAN IRVINE
staff writer
Professional athletes in today’s world are looked upon as
super natural forces. However,
they face more mental battles
against themselves than they
would in any competition.
People around the world
look at these athletes as heroes
who can never fail or falter in
the heat of battle. But they have
no idea of the mental aspect of
the game that is controlling so
many players in professional
sports. Todd Stofka, a certified
hypnotherapist and a master
practitioner of neuro-linguistic
psychology, studies the minds
of pro athletes in hopes of giving them an advantage on and
off the field.
Stofka is the president and
founder of Philly Hypnosis Centers. He has spent the past
decade transforming the minds
of athletes across the world.
A former ski racer and sports
trainer, Stofka says that he uses
his personal experiences to help
mold athletes who are having
trouble emotionally while trying
to perform at a high level.
Stofka holds a Bachelor of
Science Degree in engineering
and management from Clarkson
University and is currently working to earn his master’s degree.
He says that he believes
psychology can be integrated
into sports in numerous ways,
as athletes must learn how to
deal with and manage positive
and negative thoughts during
a game.
“Take Michael Vick, for example,” said Stofka. “The guy has
every natural ability you could
ask for in a quarterback. He can
throw a ball 80 yards, runs like
a deer. But when it comes to
running the football, as soon as
he gets touched, the ball always
seems to find its way to the other
team. There is obviously something not right with Michael upstairs. He is constantly beating
himself up thinking about the
next turnover, when he should
be focusing on all the positive
ways he has and can continue
to help his team. Every decision
starts with a thought, and those
thoughts turn into emotion on
the field.”
The mental aspects of sports
are usually unnoticed by fans
who do not look at the excessive
stress and pressure these men
and women endure. Instead,
fans focus on the performance
they see on a weekly basis.
Stofka said he firmly believes
that having a purpose or specific
goal is crucial in attaining success in life and on the field.
“ Having a goal might be
the most important part of
achieving success in sports,” says
Stofka. “Having a set goal or outcome constantly reminds you
of what it is you are working for,
and what it is going to take to
achieve the desired destination.
Setting a purpose as to why you
are going to compete is something I constantly stress. You
must believe you can achieve
what you know is possible.
Never think a goal is to great to
be attained.”
Stofka points a finger of
blame at the American team
in this year’s Ryder Cup. The
Americans were dominating the
Europeans and looked like they
had already won the tournament entering the final day.
“Look what happened,” says
Stofka. “ Instead of coming out
full force on the last day, they
decided to sit back and let the
next man win the tournament,
when they should have came
out swinging and tried to put
the nail in the coffin. They didn’t
set a final goal, and, in turn,
didn’t finish the job.”
Having a leader on your
team is something that Stofka
says he believes can ultimately
make or break a season. Leadership is a key aspect in every win-
ning team, and having someone
who will take the leadership role
is something that can greatly
benefit an entire team, according to Stofka.
“To have a winning team,
in any sport, there must have
a leader who is willing to win
games when the time comes,
and bring back their teams
when nothing seems to be going right,” says Stofka. “You must
take an entire team, and make
then come together as one.
pro athletes must quickly learn
to adapt in order to to give an
all-out winning performance,
Stofka says.
Learning to deal with typical distractions such as these will
help players deliver on the field
on a cosistent basis, overcoming the odds and setting the
standards for the rest of team
to follow.
“There are two types of
distractions that can interfere
with a player’s mind,” says Stofka.
You have to have that ability
to become “in the zone” when
your team needs you the most,
and that will then rub off on
your teammates, who will then
believe they too can get it done
when it they are most needed.
The leader of the team must
show that there is a purpose, so
you can coordinate many people
into believing one goal. ”
Professional athletes face
failure in every game they play,
and with that brings negative
thoughts, which turn into a
negative performance on the
field. Bouncing back from crucial
losses and errors is a huge part
of what makes an athlete successful during the long term of
a career, and it is one of the most
important keys to being able
to perform on a constant basis,
according to Stofka.
“In sports, and in life, you
must delete the things in your
mind that have no value,” says
Stofka. “Throw them out. You
wouldn’t keep a full bag of trash
sitting around your house, so
why keep negative thoughts
sitting around your mind? If
something didn’t work out for
you, forget about it. Learn from
the situation, and then let it go.
Don’t become your own worst
enemy. You can benefit from
failure. Peak performers learn
how to analyze and adapt to
overcome. Amateurs replay
mistakes over and over, and
you must learn to let the past
go, move on to better experiences.”
Athletes in every sport at
sometime are going to run into
adversity during their career,
and knowing how to handle
adversity, whether it be an injury
or just a lack of performance, can
be a key essential into developing a strong mental game to
help you rebound for you and
your team, according to Stofka.
“Everything in our past is
now just a memory,” says Stofka.
“Everything in our future is just
in our imagination. Adversity
can be something you are imagining, or it can be real. Many professional athletes think about
what can happen, and bring
mental adversity to themselves
without ever having any signs
of trouble during a game. They
think about the negatives of
what could happen more than
the set goal, and that leads to a
lackluster performance on the
field caused by trying not to lose,
instead of trying to go out and
win. If you face a crucial injury
during your career, never bring
up the thoughts about getting
re-injured. Don’t even let the
thought of another injury cross
your mind. Focus on coming
back stronger than before. “
Athletes face more distractions during a game than sports
fans realize, having to deal with
screaming maniacs yelling about
how bad you are, or realizing you
are playing in front of millions
of Americans. These everyday
occurrences are something
“Internal and external. The internal distractions are caused by
negative thoughts and doubting yourself before the game
has even started, asking questions like, am I fast enough, am
I too small, am I
good enough to
compete with the
other team? Questions like this can
ruin any chance
a player had at a
successful outcome just by beating your mind up
before the game
begins.”
Internal distractions can be
detrimental
to an athlete’s
performance,
Stofka says.
Negative thinking and not
preparing yourself for what
you are going
to face can be
crucial. The
second type of
distraction, an
external distraction, is one Stofka says comes
from everything that surrounds
you.
“External distractions are
those athletes face from fans,
coaches, family or anyone else
who has an opinion,” says Stofka.
“Great athletes are able to block
out everything, focus on the
task at hand and bring a worthy
performance to their fans and
teams.”
Hypnosis and psychology
Cuban’s reasoning was simple; he wanted to keep space in
the salary-cap to get “superstars”
during the summer. Some of that
was partially wasted on Odom,
but what about the rest of it?
What superstars did Cuban brilliantly bring to the Mavericks?
Oh, wait, you mean Dallas
didn’t get Deron Williams, even
though he was offered a fouryear, $75 million contract?
Of course, there was a small
glimmer of hope that Dallas
could get Dwight Howard. But
that failed to go through as well.
Granted, he will be a free agent
again on July 1, 2013, and can
decide to either stay with the
Lakers or go with the Mavericks.
However, what are the chances
that Dallas can offer him a better
spot than the Lakers by the end
of this season?
Well, at least there’s Steve
Nash. Nash has been with the
Phoenix Suns, where he was
really the only reason that team
was above water. But fans still
dreamed of the days when it
was Nash and Nowitzki, before
Cuban took over and deemed
Nash “too old” to play alongside
Nowitzki.
Oh, but, that’s right, that
trade didn’t happen either. Why
not? Because he also is going to
the Lakers, who could get him
because of a trade deal they
made with Dallas during the
Odom trade. So, they could’ve
gotten the incredibly talented,
and practically guaranteed Hallof-Famer Nash, but instead got
Odom’s lackluster performance
for six months. That guy doesn’t
quit haunting the Mavericks,
does he?
play a huge part of the
mental aspect for professional athletes, and can
ultimately make or break
a player. Stofka and his
ideas bring about a sense
of overcoming the odds
and having a mental advantage on and of the
field. His personal beliefs
from years of work with
pro athletes have lead
him to these ideas that
he uses to give his clients
a distinct advantage on
the field.
Athletes such as pro
golfer Tiger Woods and
NFL quarterback Peyton
Manning have benefited from spending time
with Stofka, allowing his
personal beliefs to help
them cope with their
problems. Having a mental advantage on your
opponent is undoubtedly a benefit that every
athlete should take advantage
of. With experts such as Stofka to
help athletes adapt to negative
situations, they have the ability to get a upper hand on the
competition.
Roster changes affect title
opportunity for Mavericks
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
Once upon a time, there was
a basketball lineup that dreams
were made of.
With Dirk Nowitzki, Jason
Kidd, JJ Barea, Tyson Chandler,
Brendon Haywood, Jason Terry,
and Shawn Marion, the Dallas
Mavericks won the NBA finals in
2011. But within a few months,
the team unraveled. They got
rid of a few people, picked up a
virus named Lamar Odom, and
got kicked out of the first round
in the next season’s playoffs.
And by looking at the new
roster, I do believe that owner
Mark Cuban wants a repeat of
that failure.
Cuban has always been a
huge part of his team. He not
only has the final say in who
stays and goes, but he also helps
design fan merchandise, and
even sits in the stands to cheer
his team on during every game.
He has even helped pay fines
that he thought were wrongfully levied against his players, and
got a few fines himself by being
too involved at games. Sounds
like a good owner, right?
I love everything he has
done for the team, up to this
point. Thanks to Cuban, the entire roster has been shaken up.
Out of the seven names mentioned above, only two are still
around. In what seems to be a
pattern, Cuban likes to offer the
Mavericks’ best players the bare
minimum to get them to stay
when their contract is up.
Back when Barea was shopping around his options, he told
reporters and fans that he would
love to stay with the Mavericks if
he had the chance. While other
teams saw how incredible he
was during the finals and knew
he was a good catch, Cuban
offered him a small, one-year
contract.
And in the midst of all these
failed trades, the team lost not
one, not two, but THREE key
players. Haywood went to the
Charlotte Bobcats, Kidd went
to the New York Knicks, and the
most heartbreaking of all, Terry
went to the Boston Celtics. So,
all that is left from that glorious
2011 championship team is
Nowitzki and Marion.
With the season-opener
against the Lakers just around
the corner, I can’t help but feel
so much anger toward Cuban.
As a fan, I blame him for the bad
that will happen this season, but
I’m still hoping for the best. And
until I’m proven wrong, I hope
he regrets the choices that were
made this season. But even if he
did, I’m sure his billions of dollars
are cheering him right up.
16
Sports
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Wildcard upset leaves Rangers benched for playoffs
by JORDAN IRVINE
staff writer
The Texas Rangers have
been dominating the American League for the past three
seasons.
Nolan Ryan and his ownership group have turned around
a team that didn’t see playoff
baseball for more then a decade. The recent collapse by the
Rangers has been one of the
most monumental downfalls in
baseball history.
Three years ago, the Rangers
dominated their division, walking their way into the American
League playoffs. After downing
their first two opponents in
two series sweeps, the
Rangers met the San
Francisco Giants in
the 2010 World Series.
The Rangers were not
expected to even make
the playoffs that year, so making the fall classic was a huge
victory in itself.
The Giants’ pitching staff
dominated the loaded Rangers line-up, ending the series
quickly in five games with domi-
nating performances from Tim
Lincecum and reliever Brian
Wilson. The Rangers, all in all,
still had a successful season and
brought baseball excitement
back to Texas, which has been
much needed with the Houston
Lastros falling off the map after
the departures of Craig Biggio
and Jeff Bagwell.
The 2011 season brought
about a sense of winning that
had not been felt in Arlington
for too long. It was supposed
to be the year that Ryan took
the Rangers to new heights and
brought back a World Series title.
The Rangers stormed through
the season and dominated their
way throughout the American
League West division, leading them to a first-place birth
in the AL playoffs. After handling the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
and Detroit Tigers, the Rangers
found themselves once again
four games away from bringing
home the crown.
Once again, the Rangers
fell short. Texas was leading the series three
games to two,
and
when the 9 th inning of game
six rolled around, everything
seemed to take a down turn.
Nelson Cruz dropped a fly ball
in right field that would have
ended the series and gave the
Rangers a World Series championship. Instead, they went
on to lose games six and seven,
dropping the series to the new
world champion St. Louis Cardinals. This was looked upon as
another blown opportunity, and
seemed to Rangers fans that it
couldn’t get much worse. Well,
guess what? It did.
The boys from Arlington
once again
we re r u n n i n g
through
t h e i r
oppo-
nents in 2012, almost looking
like a team on a mission to take
a title that was so close to being
theirs. The Rangers had a commanding 12-game lead on the
Baltimore Orioles, who were being managed by former Rangers
coach Buck Showalter. Slowly
but surely, the Rangers continued to lose games, and
they let the Orioles creep up
game by game.
Josh Hamilton once
again found himself in the
media for the wrong reasons, being accused of not
showing up to play by his
current manager, and also
by Ryan, who stated Hamilton’s tobacco withdraws
was one of the main reasons
for the
downfall. Being
one
of the most
talented
players in the
game comes
with a target on
your back, and after
two disappointing showings
in the 2010 and 2011 playoffs,
Rangers nation is no longer
holding back their dislike
for Hamilton’s lack of
production.
It is all fine and
dandy to put up
huge numbers as
Hamilton does,
but there is a
significant difference be tween helping
your team in
crunch time,
and hitting
home runs
against another team’s worst pitcher after
the game is already out of hand.
Hamilton seems to show up
when the Rangers are blowing
out their opponent, but when
it’s a tie ball game in the bottom
of the ninth, he is nowhere to
walking out with a 5-1 victory
sending the Rangers packing
and moving on to a showdown
with the New York Yankees.
be found. He hit 47 home runs
this season, but look how many
of those came against another
team’s relief pitcher when the
game was already out of control.
In situations like this, it is quality
over quantity that usually wins
ball games.
The Orioles continued to
scrap and fight their way to
a one-game playoff with the
Rangers. Texas is the only team
in the history of baseball to blow
a 12-game lead after holding
on to first place in the division
for 178 days. The Rangers came
into the showdown having lost
seven of their last nine games,
on a downslide that could not
be reversed. The Orioles walked
into Arlington and gave the
Rangers all they wanted, before
No one in the Rangers organization seems to have a direct
answer as to what happened,
and why it seems that this team
cannot finish a job. But one thing
is certain, Ryan is not going to sit
back and tolerate losing.
Talks about releasing Hamilton are already hitting the media
airways, and new prospects
might be finding their way to
Arlington sooner than later. It is
sad it took three blown opportunities to wake up the Rangers
and make them realize that they
can’t just show up and win.
The other team’s player’s
make millions of dollars just like
they do, and they found out the
hard way that the underdog
is not always a bad role to fall
into.
Sandusky’s crime tarnishes Paterno’s legacy
by TYLER JOHNSON
sports editor
Joe Paterno seems to still
be a topic of discussion even
after his death.
The legendary coach is still
making headlines, and not for
good reasons. Paterno, whom
joined the Penn State Nittany
Lions football staff in 1950 as
an assistant coach, took over
as head coach in 1966.
All Paterno did for the Penn
State football program during
his six decades of serving as
coach was lead the Nittany
Lions to national prominence,
two national championships,
and 37 bowl appearances’.
Paterno, known as JoePa
to many, laid down the foundation for the
“brand” that
would be come known
as Penn State
football. He
was a foundation for
greatness,
for success,
for resilience,
all while serving as a great
mentor for
his student
athletes.
He was
a guy you
looked up to,
and he cared for his players.
Paterno’s athletes were
ranked as some of the nations
best when it came to graduating, and his players were
twice recognized by the New
America Foundation’s Academic
Bowl Championship Series. He
also was recognized as having
the highest graduation rate for
African-American players in the
country.
Sounds like a good guy to
me.
After six decades as head
coach at Penn State, Paterno
was fired on Nov.9, 2011 by the
university amid allegations that
he knew of a child sex-abuse
scandal and did not report the
finding to authorities.
Jerry Sandusky, a former
defensive coordinator for the
Penn State football team and
longtime friend of Paterno’s,
was serving on his staff more
than 20 years. He was accused of
more than 40 counts of child sex
crimes against young boys.
Sandusky was the one accused of these allegations of
sexual crimes against children,
not Paterno.
This is where I get somewhat
baffled. Paterno served more
than half of his life as the coach
at Penn State. He was an icon, he
was a dedicated coach, and he
never did anything wrong. But
another person’s sick mistakes
cost this man his job? No, it was
much more than just a job; this
was Paterno’s life.
Mike McQueary, a Penn
State graduate assistant at the
time, reported that he walked
into the Penn State locker room
one day to find Sandusky alleg-
edly involved in a sex act with
a then-10 year-old boy. McQueary, knowing what he saw
was wrong, went straight to report the incident to Paterno, his
boss and his authority figure.
Should he have reported his
findings to the police? Yes, he
should have, no doubt about
it. You certainly cannot fault
McQueary for reporting the
incident to Paterno, though.
McQueary did what he thought
was the right thing to do at the
time, and he reported it.
Paterno then proceeded
to tell Penn State athletic director, Tim Curley (who is still on
leave for the scandal), of the
incident.
Curley and Gary Schultz both failed to report McQueary’s findings and looked
the other way when Paterno
told them, seemingly covering
up the incident.
Now, the way I see this,
yes, I think both Paterno and
McQueary should have told
police about the incident. But
it’s not like these guys didn’t do
anything about the situation.
They both went to their immediate supervisors and made
them aware of what happened.
I understand where they were
coming from. If something
happens at work, you tell your
manager,
right? Well,
obviously
not. How
did Paterno
know that
Curley would
look other
way and
pretty much
pretend as if
the incident
didn’t happen? How
was Paterno
to know
that?
Paterno
did what he
thought was right. He told
Curley, his immediate supervisor, he handled the situation
wrong, which is why they are
now all gone.
Curley and Shultz not only
failed to tell the police, but they
lied in front of a grand jury and
stated that McQueary never
informed them on such an
incident even happening. This
led to Curley and Schultz being
charged with failure to report
suspected child abuse.
If I’m correct, which I am,
then how is it that Paterno’s
name is consistently being
dragged through mud?
Not only was it wrong to
fire Paterno, but also it was
wrong for his name to even be
thrown in with such a horrid
scandal. People are now going
to get the wrong impression of
Paterno. His reputation was ruined, his legacy was ruined, all
because of three guys and their
failure to report the obvious.
Paterno was a very respected guy, not only as a
football coach, not only on
campus, but as a human being.
He was respected throughout
the country. And his accolades
speak for themselves.
It was completely and
utterly wrong to tarnish this
man’s reputation, and his family’s reputation as well.
The university removed
Paterno’s statue on campus.
For what? What did he do? For
reporting what he knew was
wrong?
Paterno did everything in
his power, and he did what he
thought was right. He should not
be consistently disrespected for
other people’s mistakes. He did
not commit the crime, so quit
acting as if he did. Do not punish
him for doing the right thing.
So, to you, JoePa, I say, may
you rest in peace.
And you will forever be a
legend in my eyes.
17
Sports
Plainsman Press
October 29, 2012
Substance abuse problematic in college athletics
by TYLER JOHNSON
sports editor
Drug and alcohol use are
becoming a major concern for
college athletes and coaches
more and more every year.
Players are finding themselves facing the demons these
substances bring with them.
You’ve read the headlines if
you follow college football. It’s
becoming a trend to see college
athletes fall victim to the lows of
substance abuse.
When will it stop? These
athletes need to be taught a
serious lesson about how substance abuse can not only ruin
your life physically, but mentally
as well. Not to mention the fact
that these athletes are getting
the opportunity of a lifetime to
participate, and they are ruining
that very opportunity by making
stupid decisions such as using
illegal drugs and other illegal
substances.
These players are becoming selfish, to say the least. Your
teammates respect you, they
play football with you every
Saturday, and you’re ruining
that respect by making idiotic
decisions. These decisions will
not only affect you as a person
and player, but as a mentor
to young children who follow
college football and look up to
you, and your teammates who
leave everything they have on
the field for you. And this
is how you’re thanking
them?
These players
need to grow
up and
realize,
or at
least
b
e
taught,
the consequences that come with using
drugs. If they are taught and
know the consequences and
still choose to use drugs, then
so be it. They’re a lost cause and
obviously don’t care about their
life and how special it is, or how
their families will be devastated
and disappointed if they are to
lose them to drug use.
Respect yourself, respect
the body God gave you, and
respect the opportunity presented to you as a collegiate
athlete. Not everyone is lucky
enough to receive the same opportunities.
You may have heard
about Texas
Christian
Universit y ’s
C a s e y
Pachall,
a great
quarterback, a sure bet
to be playing in the
National Football League
some day. Recently, Pachall,
along with all TCU football players, were given random drug
tests. Pachall failed, allegedly
testing positive for marijuana.
He went unpunished (first
Rodeo teams finish strong at
Tech, Vernon competitions
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-cheif
performances of the season in
the final round of the rodeo.
Mackelprang and Sarah
The South Plains College
Walker delivered the top two
men’s and women’s rodeo teams
times in the breakaway event
continue to offer strong compeon the first night, with Walker
tition as they edge toward the
putting up a time of 2.9 seconds,
end of the fall season.
and Mackelprang edging slightly
Both SPC teams competed
higher with 2.8 seconds. Neither
well at their fourth rodeo, hosted
of the athletes was able to attain
by Texas Tech University on Oct.
a time during the last day of
18 – Oct. 20 in Lubbock, advanccompetition. Overall, Mackeling six athletes to Saturday’s
prang finished
short round.
with 70 points,
J.W. Ery,
a n d Wa l k e r
who combrought home
peted in
50.
steer wresWatt saw
tling, placed
success in the
first for the
goat tying
second time
competition,
in three tries,
turning in a
pushing his
time of 7.9
way closer to
seconds on
the top of the
the second
Southwest
day, tying for
Region standsecond place
ings. Ery, who
during the
entered the
long rounds.
Texas Tech roLater that day,
deo in sixth
Watt went on
place with
to score 9.5
115 points,
seconds, takearned a twoing fifth place
day total of
in that round
140 points.
and finishing
Ery finished
fourth in the
the contest in
average. She
a three-way
earned 90
tie for second
points for her
in the long
efforts.
round, placed
Also makthird in the Kyler Cator practicing for the upcoming rodeo competition.
ing it to the fishort round,
nal rounds for
and won the LYNDA BRYANT WORK/PLAINSMAN PRESS
SPC were Kyle
average.
Sutherland in
“J.W. did
bareback ridreal well the last two rodeos,”
ing
and
Asa
Daughterty
in calf
short round time of 10.1 secsaid Kerry Doster, head rodeo
roping.
onds, giving her a two-day total
coach at SPC. “He is executing
Sutherland rode to a score
of 18.5 seconds.
and not making mental misof
47
points on the first night,
Sadie Watkins tied for fourth
takes. He is pretty solid, and as a
followed
by 53 for the second
place in the long round in goat
freshman, that’s really good.”
day.
He
came
home with 50
tying, with a time of 8.4 seconds
Ery has earned a total of
championship
points,
and had
in goat tying, but was unable
255 points after three rodeos,
the
sixth-best
long
round
score,
to record a time in the short
placing him second only to Roy
and
placed
fi
fth
on
the
second
round.
Trigger of West Texas A&M, who
“The girls really stepped up,” day.
is leading the event with 300.
Daugherty advanced into
said Doster. “The freshmen are all
Shane Krywcun also posted
the
Saturday
finals, placing ninth
doing really well.”
a time of 4.5 seconds in the long
with
a
time
of
10.3 seconds in
Both SPC rodeo teams had
round, but was unable to attain
calf
roping.
Of
the
10 qualifiers,
another strong showing during
a time on Saturday night. He
he
was
eighth
with
a score of
their third collegiate competiearned 40 points in his event.
15.6
seconds.
tion on Oct. 11- Oct.13 hosted
Pryce Harris advanced in
Doster said that the SPC
by Vernon College.
the tie-down calf roping event,
men’s
and women’s teams are
The final short round feawith a time of 7.9 seconds in
becoming
more competitive
tured seven SPC athletes comthe long round. Harris entered
with
each
rodeo,
but that there
peting, with Ty Willick maintainthe final tied for third and had a
is
still
a
lot
of
room
for improveing his ranking near the top of
finishing time of 10.1 seconds,
ment.
the steer wrestling event.
placing him fifth in the round.
“We are doing alright,” said
Willick had a tremendous
He earned a total of 75 points
Doster.
“But we could be doing
first round, finishing the event
and placed fifth in the average.
better.
”
in 4.5 seconds to qualify for the
In the women’s competiThe cowboys and cowgirls
short round. Willick earned 100
tion, SPC’s Kylee Mackelprang,
competed
at their final fall rodeo
points during the rodeo, giving
Kipty Watt and Sadie Watkins
in
Clarendon
on Oct. 25-Oct. 27.
him 225 points for the season.
advanced to compete in the
Results
were
not available at
The Lady Texans challenged
goat tying final.
press
time.
competitors in one of their best
Mackleprang entered Saturday’s rounds with the seventh best time of 8.5 second.
Mackleprang tied for second
place in the event and brought
home 85 championship points.
Watt, who entered the event
in sixth place in the overall
Southwest Region standings,
earned 20 points in the long
round. She would finish seventh
for overall average following her
mistake) after failing the drug
test. How are you going to let a
football player go unpunished
after testing positive for using
an illegal drug? This is just unbearable. And we wonder why
so many players are finding
substance abuse to be such a
problem? Maybe it’s because
you are letting them get away
with it? Maybe that’s why!
What lesson are these young
amateur athletes learning by
slapping them on the wrist?
Might as well say it’s OK, just
don’t
d o
i t
again. No,
you punish them! Let them know
that all intolerable acts do not go
unpunished. Seriously, it’s not a
hard concept to understand. It’s
like kindergarten. The first thing
you should ever learn, and certainly the first thing you should
ever teach, is to not let athletes
go unpunished.
How will they ever learn
that way?
To further prove the point
I’m trying to implant in everyone’s brain, Pachall, didn’t learn
his lesson. He was arrested on
suspicion of driving under the
influence earlier this season,
and was suspended from the
TCU football team indefinitely.
He has since left the program to
undergo treatment at a rehabilitation facility in Arizona. In case
you’re keeping count, yes, that
is Pachall’s second off-the-field
issue in less than a year.
I think, and I know I may be
way out of left field here, but had
his coaches taken the proper
measures the first time
around, this wouldn’t
have happened.
By letting
these guys slide a
few times, you’re
giving them the
wrong impression.
They’re not learning
anything by letting them
go.
Are criminals given a warning after committing a violent
crime? I don’t think so! So what
makes these guys any different?
They shouldn’t be given any
special privileges. They need to
be taught the same lesson as everyone else in this free world. It
is not all about punishing these
guys, but teaching them, and
putting them on the right path
to success.
After all, that is what college
is all about right?
Coaches, administrators,
and others need to quit treating
these athletes like babies and
have them take responsibilities
for their own actions. They are
grown men. They know the difference between the does and
don’ts.
Athletes are young, with still
fragile minds, and can still be
pressured. Coaches should take
responsibility to teach these athletes the dangers. Drug abuse
can cause permanent damage;
some can even paralyze you, or
kill you. So are they really worth
risking your life in the long run?
My words of advice are to
focus on the game, and focus
on your life!
When we read the daily
headlines in our newspapers,
we should be reading scores
and how good this team did or
this player did. We should not
be reading of this player being
suspended for failing dug tests
or being brought in by the police
for a DUI.
That is not what we want
to be hearing from our favorite
college athletes.
We need to get these substances out of collegiate sports,
and away from our collegiate athletes. It’s not good for the game,
and it’s not god for them.
It’s not worth it.
Cross country teams hit post season with high hopes
27:13.31and finished 10th overall.
Finishing closely behind
The South Plains College
Daniel was Brandon Bernal, who
men’s and women’s cross counwas 11th in27:16.06, and Cordatry teams continue to improve
ryl Whitehead, who finished 12th
following a strong showing at
in 27:16.92 to add to the men’s
the SPC Cross Country Invitatotal team points.
tional.
Rounding
Sophomore
out the men’s
Darroneshia Lott
scor ing was
earned her secEladio Perez
ond individual
in 14th place
race victory of the
with a time
season, leading all
of 27:44.24,
SPC women runand Kin Scott
ners with a time
in 16th with
of 18:27.26 in the
a time of
5,000-meter race
27:43.44.
on Oct. 13, finishThe men’s
ing a little more
team was able
than 20 seconds
to rack up 58
faster than the
total team
second- place
points and
finisher. Lott was
earn a secondone of four SPC
place finish at
women able to
the meet
finish inside the
The SPC
top 10.
cross country
Freshman
teams now
Ekaterina Miroshhead into postnikova locked up
season comMembers of the women’s cross country team compete
a fourth-place finpetition, travat the SPC Invitational on Oct. 13.
ish with a strong
eling to El Paso
MICKEY LUIS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
time of 19:31.88.
on Oct. 27 to
Following close
compete in the
behind Miroshnikova was fellow
The Lady Texans combined NJCAA Region V championsips.
freshman Desreen Montague, for a team total of 26 points and Results were not available at
who finished fifth with a time placed first , 17 points better press time,
of 19:51.89. Rounding out the than second-place El Paso.
They also will compete in
top 10 for the Lady Texans was
Crossing the finish line first the National Junior College AthMaddie Kauffman, who finished for the SPC men’s cross coun- letic Association cross country
ninth with a time of 20:26.03.
try team was freshman Zach championships. on Nov 10 in
Also competing in the meet Daniel, who posted a time of Ina, Ill.
by TYLER JOHNSON
sports editor
for SPC was Sarah Peterson, who
crossed the finish line in 11th
place with a time of 20:42.54.
Freshman Brittany Letts and
Melina Morantes also competed
for the Lady Texans, crossing the
line with times of 21:06.08 and
22:12.24, respectively.
18
Spotlight
Spooktacular...
October 29, 2012
Plainsman Press
Nightmare on 19th returns with new attractions, better scares
by DEVIN HARGROVE
staff writer
A hand grabs your shoulder, the dead body to the right
twitches just a bit and the monster lurking just around the
corner finally makes its
presence known.
The experience
of Nightmare on 19 th
Street, located at the
Lone Star Amphitheater
on East 19th Street in
Lubbock, is unlike any
other. It’s an amusement
park experience that appears to have come from
the syphilitic crevices
of a mind as twisted as
Edgar Allen Poe’s.
“We’re getting into
detailed work,” explains
Wes Nessman, co-founder of Nightmare on 19th
Street and Lubbock radio personality. “We’ve
got four haunts and
some really great areas
linking them. So we’re
pretty much a theme
park already.”
A lot of work goes
into creating these four
haunts that will provide
guests with scares, thrills,
and chills throughout
the experience. Nessman explains that he and a crew
of 12 permanent helpers worked
50 weeks, starting after Halloween of last year to make it into
the final presentation.
“We have four different
attractions,” explains Jeremy
Waldon, who has been an actor performing at Nightmare
since opening in 2006 and is
playing Patches the Clown this
year. “We have “Dr. Nixon’s Sanitarium.” After you make your way
through that, you go through
“Blood Moon Manor,” and if you
can make it past “Blood Moon
Manor,” then you’ll head out to
“Skull Lick.” And then afterwards
you get to “The City of the Lost,”
and if you don’t get lost in the
city, then you make it out scotfree.”
Each of the attractions hosts
a different scenario, and everything in the
park is made to
play off a different fear and
engage participants on a
multi-sensorial
level.
“ We d i d
clowns the
first two years,
and then we
did aliens,” explains Nessman. “But we
switched over
to lost cultures,
and I guarantee you that
doesn’t sound
scar y, but it
will make you
drop a load.
It’s Egyptian,
and it’s Aztec
sacrifice, and
it really works
because it allowed us to explore
a lot of different areas with the
ancient cultures theme.”
A horror park in the Lone
Star State wouldn’t be complete
without having to survive the
Wild West. Except at Nightmare
on 19th, there’s a darker side to
the old West.
“We added a whole new attraction called “Skull Lick, Texas,”
explains Waldon. “It’s mainly a
whole new hillbilly version. It’s
got a saloon, a couple of houses
that we’ve built out there, a jailhouse. It’s mainly a whole new
zombie side of Texas.”
Opinions are divided as to
which attraction gets the most
attention. However, a general
favorite seems to be the tried
and true attractions.
“We all have our own opinions on who gets the biggest
headless body hanging from a
bridge.
“This year, we really upped
our game,” says Nessman of the
park’s attractions.
“We occasionally hire a
changes and upgrades will continue to be made to the park,
explains Nessman.
“It constantly evolves, it’s
never static,” Nessman proudly
explains. “We’ll be constantly
reaction,” says Waldon. “I believe
the two that battle it out the
most would be the “Sanitarium”
and “Blood Moon Manor.” Those
two are probably the wildest.
The two others are fairly new. We
added “The City of the
Lost” I believe two
years ago. They’re
still working on trying to figure out
themselves there.”
The quality of
the attractions has
also improved overall through the six
years since the park’s
opening. As each
Nightmare passes,
Nessman and the
crew have become
better at assembling
and creating the set
designs.
full-sized horse and a headless
horseman, and we wanted them
to be able to come through, so
we built this bridge right
here.”
Some of the attrac-
making improvements, even
tonight. Halloween night, I’ll be
at the store buying stuff for us
plete. A full staff of actors is
required to fill the towns and
ancient ruins.
“Last I heard, we had about
120 actors,” explains Waldon.
“We actually had more actors
last year, but we had to let
some go because we weren’t
prepared for that many actors.
At the most, we’ve had about
150 actors.”
A team of highly skilled
make-up artists is also on hand
to provide realism to each character, a process which can be
time consuming and can vary
greatly.
“It depends on the character,”
says Waldon. “A lot of our makeup artists are very, very good at
what they do. If you’ve got a very
elaborate
character,
like one
of our
vampires,
they usually take
about 30
minutes, if
that. A lot
of blood
work is
splattered
around,
but there
is a lot of
attention
to details.
T h e s e
makeup artists know what
they’re doing.”
The whole park is designed to provide the youth
of Lubbock with an alternative
to the normal novelties which
come with Halloween.
“The thing I just want
tions
are a
b i t
more
hu-
“We had this little hillbilly
area,” explains Nessman. “It used
to be all like this, really throwntogether shacks. It really looked
like it was thrown together by
hillbillies, and it was. And it
served its purpose, and you still
go through it while you wait in
line. But the difference is it kind
of ejects you into a professional
theme park kind of area.”
Many of the attractions
that can be found are just plain
creepy, such as monsters and
other creatures of the night,
ranging all the way to the creatively debauched, such as a
scene from Sleepy Hollow of a
morous.
One is the
Naughty Saddle, which became
the brunt of a joke, thanks to the
Jimmy Kimmel Show.
“We have the Naughty Saddle, based on the Jimmy Kimmel
skit,” jokes Nessman. “He had a
bit about Lubbock on there, so
we went ahead and called
it that.”
Even though the
attractions are built
and completely set-up,
to build. And that’s what
we do, it’s almost a
compulsion.”
But it takes
more than just
fancy set designs and
parlor
tricks
to make
the experience of
Nightmare
on 19 th
Street
c o m -
to stress to people and to kids,
and especially to South Plains
students, is to do something
different,” says Nessman. “It may
not be me, and I know you’re
going to get your beers on and
you’re going to go out dancing
and stuff, but take advantage
of some of these alternative
entertainment things so we can
start building them in this town,
so they’ll be available when you
do want them. If not me, then
someone else is fine.”
With the success building
from the previous years and a
more permanent location within
the amphitheater, plans for next
year are already in the works.
“Yes, there are plans,” says
Waldon. “We’ve got placements
all over the park, so it
just depends on where
we need more actors
at, and that’s where
we’ll place them.”
Nightmare on
19th Street is open
each weekend, as
well as on Halloween
night. The gates are
open from 7:30 p.m.
to 11:30 p.m., with
tickets being sold until 11:30 p.m. Tickets
are $20 on Thursday
and Sunday, and $25
on Friday and Saturday.
For more information about
Nightmare on 19 t h
Street, or for directions or
ticket information, visit www.
nightmareon19thstreet.com.
photos by: RACHEL
GILILLAND/PLAINSMAN
PRESS