Oct. 4, 2010 - South Plains College

Plainsman Press
South Plains College
1401 S. College Ave. • Levelland, Texas
Aaron Greene shares experiences abroad in classroom.
Vol. 53 • Issue 2 • October 4 , 2010
James McMurtry, who recently performed in Lubbock, is the underated
social commentator of his generation.
Local gamblers describe risks of sports
betting.
See page 7
See page 10
See page 16
President Obama addresses student issues in conference call
by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor-in-chief
t h at m o n e y
so that it goes
directly to students.”
Another
measure that
is taking place
is the simplification of financial aid forms
and increasing
the value and
availability of
Pe l l G ra nt s.
Also, Obama
said that he
wants to set in
motion a plan
to eliminate
severe debt
after a period
of 10 years.
However,
there are some
consequences that could
eventually
lead to greater
costs for college students.
“If I keep
With the costs of higher
education rising, there are more
college and university students
who are falling into debt. Another big problem is the fact that
most students do not finish their
education.
It is for these reasons that
solving these problems have
made their way to the top of the
priority list of President Barack
Obama and his administration.
On Sept. 27, President
Obama hosted a conference
call with college and university
journalists throughout the nation to address these issues.
According to President
Obama, the United States has
seen a decline in the number
of college graduates. In one
generation alone, the U.S. has
managed to go from first place
in the number of college graduates to 12th.
“We’ve done OK in terms
President Barack Obama participates in a conference call with college and university student journalists from the Oval
of college enrollment rates, but
Office on Sept. 27.
more than a third of America’s
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
college students and more than
half of our minority students
don’t earn a degree, even after
six years,” Obama told the Plainsman Press. “And that’s a waste
of potential, particularly if folks
“The funding was huge, her training for the course,
are racking up big debt and then by SARAH NICOLE VAUGHN to start a Hybrid Automotive
news
editor
Technology
program.
because
this equipment is ex- those in her group were shown
they don’t even get the degree
SPC
requested
the
JET
grant
tremely
expensive,”
said Ann a picture of a ‘peanut man’ with
at the end…”
With the success of forenfunding
to
purchase
equipment
Gregory,
chairperson
of the stick arms and legs. But hidden
The decline in graduation sics drama shows such as “CSI:
for
the
new
Digital
Forensics
CerBusiness
Administration
and in the image was an intricate
rates directly affects the econo- Crime Scene Investigation” and
photograph of how to assemble
tificate
of
Proficiency
within
the
Computer
Information
Systems
my. Obama says one of the best its entire franchise of TV proa bomb, with instructions.
Computer
Information
Systems
Department.
“There’s
a
central
ways to begin rebuilding the gramming, many living in the
“A file has a specific size,
program,
which
will
be
a
pilot.
unit
that
we
call
‘F.R.E.D,
’
Forensic
economy is by helping young United States have recently
and
what happens is there are
The
29-hour
curriculum
will
foRecovery
of
Evidence
Device.
”
people reach their potential and become interested in forensic
8
bits
of information stored in
cus
on
investigation
areas
such
F.R.E.D.
is
able
to
detect
pursue a college education to science.
the
file,
” said Gregory. “But proas
child
pornography,
locating
the
‘ghost’
of
deleted
items
on
completion.
For students who are intergrams
generally
only read the
missing
children,
detecting
a
computer’s
hard
disk,
as
well
In order for this to be pos- ested in the field, South Plains
first
six,
and
so
the
last two bits
money
laundering,
fighting
esas
crack
open
hidden
files
consible, Obama says he believes College will be offering a Digital
aren’t
even
looked
at,
because it
pionage,
gathering
intelligence,
tained
within
graphics.
that there are a couple of things Forensics certification program
would
take
a
very
expensive
and
combating
terrorism,
uncover“If
somebody
takes
their
that need to take place. In fact, for the first time this fall with the
very
comprehensive
program
to
ing
medical
and
other
insurance
hard
drive,
and
just
beats
it
to
his administration has already help of a $74,960 grant from the
utilize
those.
”
fraud,
investigating
identity
a
pulp,
if
those
pieces
can
be
begun taking a couple of mea- State of Texas.
F.R.E.D. is just the computsures that they deem necessary
The money is part of a $3.84 theft, uncovering employee mis- reassembled, the ghost can be
er
to
open those extra 2 bits,
use
of
company
computers,
and
picked
up
off
that,
”
said
Gregory.
to see the problem solved.
million grant awarded by Texas
unlocking
any hidden files or
identifying
accounting
fraud.
“It’s
amazing
what
this
piece
of
“First of all, we’re mak- State Comptroller Susan Combs.
messages
the graphic might
The
Digital
Forensic
courses
will
equipment
can
do.
What
the
ing college more affordable,” The money is specifically for
contain.
be
combined
with
the
estabgrant
did
is
it
allowed
us
to
get
Obama says. “For example, equipment purchases as part
A n o t h e r v i t a l p ro ce s s
we’ve changed the way federal of the third round of the state’s lished Law Enforcement/Crimi- this big central piece, and then
F.R.E.D.
can execute is to make
nal
Justice
courses,
providing
diwe’ve
also
got
evidence
files
that
student loans are administered. equipment grant program Jobs
an
exact
copy of a hard-drive or
agnostic
forensic
skills
necessary
the
students
can
use
in
a
learnInstead of handing over $60 bil- and Education for Texans (JET).
disk
through
a ‘one-way bridge’
for
graduates
to
be
employed
in
ing
situation.
”
lion in unwarranted subsidies The college had already received
that
does
not
leave a footprint
law
enforcement.
Gregory
said
that
during
to big banks…we’re redirecting funds from the second round
on increasing Pell Grants and
increasing student loan programs and making it more
affordable, but health care
or higher education inflation
keeps on going up at the pace
that it’s going up right now,
then we’re going to be right
back where we started, putting
more money in, but it’s all being absorbed by these higher
costs,” Obama explained.
Obama also said that he
wants to create a workforce
that is “ready for the new jobs
of the future” through college
education. He says community
colleges will play a key role in
making this happen.
“A third thing we’re trying
to do is to make sure that we’re
giving young people a better
sense of what jobs are out there
in the future, so that people
end up gravitating towards
the skills and degrees that they
need to get employed,” Obama
said. “That’s especially important for young people who are
going through a community
college system…”
SEE “PRESIDENT” PAGE 2
Digital forensics peeks into darker side of cyberspace
Proposed Multi-Purpose Event Center
could benefit Hockley County coffers
by KATI WALKER
staff writer
In 2005, the Hockley County
Commissioners were looking
for input from the community
on a way to renovate or replace
the stock show barns and facilities at the Hockley County
Fairgrounds.
The commissioners appointed a committee in charge
of this project. After a few meetings, the committee came to
the conclusion that the current
facilities, which have been in
existence since the 1940s and
haven’t been added on to since
the ‘80s, were grossly inadequate
and needed to be replaced.
“We needed more than a
major makeover, we needed to
rebuild,” said Paul Pinkert, chairman of the Mallet Event Center
Committee.
Around 2008, the committee reached a point when they
were not sure exactly what type
of facility they wanted. Members
of the committee began touring
Wendy Scott, Mallet Center executive, says the new facility could bring more business to Hockley
County.
ANDREW GARVIN/PLAINSMAN PRESS
other communites to see the facilities that they had invested in.
After touring surrounding towns
and talking to several populous
firms, an idea began to take
shape. The Levelland Economic
Development Corporation paid
for a feasibility firm to come in
and perform a feasibility study.
The price on that study was
$30,000.
“What the study showed
was that there was a tremendous amount of opportunity
outside of Hockley County to attract events and shows,” Pinkert
said. “There’s a lot of people who
travel for roping type events,
and they travel two to three
weekends a month. They’re
going to compete somewhere,
and if they can compete in
Hockley County, that would
contribute to tourism and the
sales tax base.”
However, the tax base of
Levelland would not be able to
power this project alone. Thus,
the committee hoped to make
the Mallet Center a county project. Without the support of surrounding towns and residents,
their idea would not be able to
come to completion.
SEE “PROPOSED” PAGE 2
on the original disk, allowing
investigators to analyze the copied information. When a file is
opened on a normal computer,
the communication is between
the program and the file, and instantly alters the file. To maintain
the integrity of the evidence, law
enforcement officials must be
able to access the files without
changing them, which would
be considered tampering with
evidence.
“What the forensic analyst has to do is have special
equipment and software that
when it accesses that information to make a copy, it doesn’t
change anything,” said Gregory.
“In a criminal investigation, that
would corrupt the evidence. So
F.R.E.D. bridges to get the data,
and it’s a one-way bridge.”
Gregory said that although
there is an FBI office in Lubbock,
there is not a forensic lab. But
students of the program would
still have many job opportunities in law enforcement, or with
any business wishing to detect
and prevent fraudulent activities. The certification will be in
very high demand as a result
of the rate at which computer
crimes are growing.
The Digital Forensic program faculty attended a weeklong, intensive training session
in August so that classes would
be available for the fall 2010
semester. Even though the program has had very little publicity, it already has five students
enrolled. The students will be
able to complete their classes
and pass the certification exam
in less than a year.
Lea Gunn, one of the five
students currently enrolled in
the digital forensics program,
said that she was taking classes
at the Byron Martin Advanced
Technology Center when she
learned about the new courses.
She said she hopes that the certification will give her an advantage in today’s job market.
“I was attracted to these
classes because it gives me the
opportunity to obtain certification in only one year,” said Gunn,
who is a returning student. “And
it is fun for me to interact with
other people again in an educational environment.”
2
News
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
SPC sets enrollment record for second consecutive year
“It’s important to have a increase will have a two-fold
by SARAH NICOLE VAUGHN counting, and your funding for
news editor
the next biennium is based on good number this year, be- affect on the college, creating
this year’s count. The larger the cause it impacts our funding good opportunities as well as
For the second consecutive number, in theory, the larger our for two years in the future,” said new challenges.
Dr. Sharp. “I am excited about
“It means added revenue
year, South Plains College has set state appropriations will be.”
Dr. Kelvin Sharp, president a record enrollment, but I am so that you can continue to do
a record for enrollment.
Numbers are up at all of of SPC, said that the potential more excited about having more the things we’ve been doing,”
SPC’s campuses, totaling a 1.5 for an increase in funding is the students that will fund us out in said Jones. “On the other hand,
it means new challenges for us,
percent increase in the college’s most important aspect of the the future.”
Jones explained that the [such as] additional housing,
unduplicated headcount. The record-breaking enrollment.
Levelland campus saw the smallest percentage increase with
6,665 students representing a
1.1 percent increase. The campuses in Plainview and at the
Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center in Lubbock had
an increase around 13 percent,
with 296 students enrolled at
Plainview and 705 at the ATC.
The Reese Center campus, with
an enrollment of 3,463, had an
increase in enrollment of 4.5
percent.
The official 12th class day
numbers showed 10,190 unduplicated students enrolled for
the fall semester, 154 more students than last year’s fall enrollment. The enrollment increase
comes at a key time concerning
SPC’s funding for the future.
Every two years, the Texas
Legislature allots appropriations to state colleges based
on enrollment. The state adds
enrollment numbers from the
Summer I semester through
the spring.
According to David Jones,
vice president for student affairs, the increased enrollment
number at SPC should translate
into a bigger portion of the state
funding.
“This is the beginning of the
funding cycle,” said Jones. “So, Enrollment at South Plains College has increased by 1.5 percent since the Fall semester of 2009.
starting with the first summer LATASHA SOTO / PLAINSMAN PRESS
session of 2010, the state starts
support services, and new faculty in order to meet the demand
of more students.”
The enrollment increase is
a sign of the recent economic
hardships the nation has been
facing. And, although news reports have recently said that the
recession is over, many in Hockley County and the surrounding
area are still struggling to find
good-paying jobs.
“Typically, and historically,
higher education has seen more
students during the worst economic times,” said Jones. “When
jobs are available and prevalent, a lot of potential students
choose to work. When jobs
are not available, they tend to
choose college.”
D r. S h a r p
said that the
economy affects
enrollment, especially at the
community college level, which
gives SPC the
opportunity to
show how important its programs are to the
communities
that the college
is a part of.
“The numbers are up at
all of our campuses,” said Dr.
Sharp. “It is important to show
that community
colleges play an
important role in
these economic
times, and that
we are helping
people pursue
the jobs they
want. At South
Plains College,
we deliver a
quality education at an affordable price during
these economic
times.”
Proposed event center could be asset for county
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
However, the tax base of
Levelland would not be able to
power this project alone. Thus,
the committee hoped to make
the Mallet Center a county project. Without the support of surrounding towns and residents,
their idea would not be able to
come to completion.
“That’s a hard sell sometimes, because some of our
communities that contribute to
our tax base are quite a distance
away,” Pinkert said. “So we went
to those communities, and we
spoke with them and said, ‘it is
yours if you use it.’”
The Mallet Center is expected to be the new home
of the Hockley County Stock
Show. However, the use of the
proposed facility will not be
limited. Weddings, receptions,
motor-cross events, banquets,
rodeos, concerts, trampoline
events, dog shows, and rabbit
shows are among the events
that could be held.
“If we can house it, we can
hold it,” said Wendy Scott, Mallet
Center executive.
The benefits of the Mallet
Center are limitless. The Mallet
Center Committee even took
into account the height of the
ceiling necessary to host trampoline events. Now, local tumbling
and trampoline training center,
Acrospirits, would be able to host
championship-type events in the
center as well.
“It will have a positive affect
on the community, and it will create events,” said Levelland Chamber of Commerce President Mary
Siders. “And those events will
bring new people. Those new
people will bring new money.”
The Center is expected to
bring in around $1 million a year
after it reaches maturity.
“People have no idea what
is coming,” Scott said. “From all of
the documentation we’ve seen
on other centers like this, hotels
need to be ready, restaurants
need to be ready. It’s not just
about bringing people to that
building. It’s about supporting
businesses in Hockley County.”
Dave Quinn, executive director for the Levelland Economic
Development Corporation, said
that not only will the Mallet
Center bring in new monies, it
will also bring in new retailers.
These retailers will create potential jobs for college students,
allowing students to work and
go to school in Levelland.
If this proves to be true, it
will call for more available housing. Apartment complexes and
housing units will then want to
invest in Levelland as well.
The Mallet Center could
also benefit South Plains College in that the Event Center will
provide a place for the college’s
rodeo team to compete without
having to travel all the time.
“We knew the college need-
ed a better facility, and there
was the opportunity there that
they might improve their rodeo
facility,” said Quinn. “And if we
can create activity in the town,
people will spend money in
town.”
The ground-breaking ceremony took place in July at 2320
South State Highway 385 in Levelland, the future home of the
Center. However, the construction has not yet started on the
facility. A project as “high-value”
as this requires more meticulous
work than one would perceive.
Scott is currently taking bookings from local people and
people from surrounding towns
for 2012 and 2013.
Construction bids for the
building were opened Sept. 23.
For more information on the Mallet Event Center, or for booking
information, call Scott at (806)
893-3345.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
This leads back to the other
barrier: tuition. Obama says the
cost of higher education has
a greater inflation than health
care. State budgets are faced
with the burden of having
to cut funds for public
education. For these
reasons, he says more
measures should
be taken to show
where student tuition payments are
being distributed.
“ Yo u g u y s
(college students)
have to be good
consumers, and
your parents have to
be good consumers,
and we’ve got to offer
you more information,”
Obama said. “You should
know where your tuition is going. There should be a pie chart
at every university that says,
out of every dollar you spend in
tuition, here’s where your money
is going. And you should have
s o m e
good under-
decisions as a consequence of
that information.”
However, despite the inflation of tuition for higher education, Obama is optimistic about
the generation of young people
who are currently enrolled in
community colleges and universities.
“If you are able to
work together as a generation to tackle longstanding problems that
you inherited but that
are solvable, then there’s
no reason why the 21st
century is not going to be
the American Century just
like the 20th century was,”
Obama said. “And there’s still
billions of people around the
world who want to come here,
and they want to come here
because they know that this is,
for all our problems, still the land
of opportunity.”
President reaches out to students with conference call
Obama told the student
journalists that even though the
United States is going through a
financial crisis, there are still opportunities for jobs. According
to the president, nine out of 10
unemployed job seekers can find
work, but it should be the priority
of colleges and universities to
have a sharper focus on education and help students get all the
way through college.
“And so one of the things
that we’re going to be doing is
working with university presidents and college presidents to
figure out how can we get control of costs generally and refocus
our priorities and our attention
on what the primary function
of a university is, and that is to
give students the knowledge
and skills that they need to have
a fulfilling career after they get
out…,” Obama said.
ing of that
standand be able to make some better
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.
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EMAIL: ppress@spc.cc.tx.us
Editorial Staff
Charlie Ehrenfeld / Advisor
Ellysa Gonzalez / Editor-in-Chief
Thomas D. Mooney / Associate Editor
Samantha Rodriguez / Photo Editor
Danielle Gonzales / Sports Editor
Johannah Segura/ Entertainment Editor
Jennifer Harbin / Feature Editor
Sarah Nicole Vaughn / News Editor
Jordan Richards / Opinion Editor
Latasha Soto / Ad Manager
Andrew Garvin / Editorial Assistant
Staff Writer & Photographers
Brandon Alvarado
Felicia Guzman
Ashley Baker
Rachel Ramirez
Kaija Sampson
BreAnna Wells
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Erica Pauda
Amanda Brown
Cassidy Teaff
Miranda Gonzales
Lara Bidwell
Gabby Perez
Christopher Alderete
Kati Walker
3
News
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
Fireball Run races through Lubbock
on mission to find missing children
“One of the little-known carbon footprint, a Ford Model T,
by SARAH NICOLE VAUGHN of obtaining food. We’ve had
news editor
a tremendous drain this year secrets of the Fireball Run is and not one, but two DeLorean
on those donations because of that most of the drivers are Time Machines, replicated from
From a former chief test the state of the economy, and CEOs of major corporations in the movie “Back to the Future.”
driver for Lamborghini to lifeT e a m
long friends and veterinarians,
Zen Coma diverse group of ‘Fireballers’
manders,
from around the world recently
comprised of
made their way into Lubbock
two Los Anfor the third overnight pit stop
geles veteriof the Fireball Run, an eight-day,
narians, Rob
amazing-race-meets-motorFi s h e r a n d
sports-adventure.
Scott AnderOn Sept. 27, Lubbock’s
son, describe
Overton Hotel hosted the 40
themselves
teams competing in the Fireball
a s “a d v e n Run ‘Adventurally,’ a race across
t u re t r a ve l
the nation to raise awareness for
aficionados.”
America’s missing children.
They have
Lubbock area community
been hot air
members were invited to bring
ballooning
their children to the finish line
over the Soson the evening of Sept. 27 to see
susvlei dunes
the racers arrive and to create
of Namibia,
identification kits containing finand raced in a
gerprints, height, weight and a
Ford Model T
picture. Teams competing in the
(named “The
race also brought food items to
Southern
The Zen Commanders’ 1909 Ford Model T will have traveled 3,500 miles by the
donate to the South Plains Food
Belle”) from
time the eight-day Fireball Run is complete.
Bank. The participants had dopresent-day
ANDREW GARVIN/PLAINSMAN PRESS
nated 3,431 pieces by the time
Beijing, Chithey left the starting line during
na to Paris,
the morning of Sept 28.
so I’ve taken every opportunity this country,” said Martin. “They France. The cross-continent race
The mayor of each city as mayor to designate a charity don’t like to publicize that. They was the 100th anniversary of the
where there is an overnight pit for various purposes, to make like to be plain old guys driving “Peking-to-Paris Motor Chalstop on the Fireball Run des- the South Plains Food Bank a their classic cars. But you can
ignates a charity for donations recipient.”
be assured they are always on
from participants in the run, as
Martin also said that the the lookout for cities across this
well as from local citizens who pit stop brought great publicity country that are growing, that
come out to participate.
to the city. Not only does the have a pro-business attitude,
“I am very much aware of Fireball Run generate plenty of where they can expand plants
the problem of hunger in our interest through their website, and facilities.”
community and throughout which receives around a million
The Fireball racecars run the
the South Plains,” said Lubbock hits each year, it allows cities gamut from classic American by JORDAN RICHARDS
Mayor Tom Martin. “The South to showcase what they have to muscle to high-performance news editor
Plains Food Bank serves about offer to companies looking for sport cars, including Audis, Lam80,000 people in the high plains locations to expand their busi- borghinis, Mercedes, a Smart car,
The commercial music proarea who have no other means nesses to.
a Ford Excursion that leaves zero gram at South Plains College
will be hosting a songwriting
and music business seminar on
Oct. 7.
From time to time, the professors of the commercial music
program try to bring in professionals of all different genres of
things,
such
as
the
origins
or
the
music, with different jobs in the
slave
owners
that
talked
about
by JORDAN RICHARDS
contents
of
the
Constitution,”
industry such as music producfreedom,”
said
Smith.
“So
we
news editor
said Smith.
need to keep that in context that ers, publishers, songwriters,
The event does not feature all was not perfect with equality, drummers, guitar players, and
The United States Constitution is the most important docu- only a single host in charge of and the things we like to talk banjo players, among others.
deciding what information to about today.”
“We have them talk to our
ment in our nation’s history.
“That was not always the students about what they do
It would seem only neces- distribute, but four. This techsary that a document that holds nique allows for there to be intention, I think, of the founding and how they got started in
four different opinions, points fathers to begin with,” he adds. the business,” says Cary Banks,
such prestige be recognized.
“ I t i s n o t chairperson of the Creative Arts
Robert
a p e r f e c t Department.
Bird, the late
Nashville songwriter, Richdocument,
senator from
and was not ard Leigh will be conducting the
West Virginia,
done with
was instruthe most
mental in
humane
getting the
intentions.
l aw p a s s e d
I think there
six years ago
was a lot of
for all federal
discriminaand school estion that
tablishments
was into recognize
volved with
Constitution
the process,
D a y. S o u t h
whether
Plains College
that be tomarked this
wards peoday for the Larry Norris, Dan English, Michael Smith and Dr. Ron Carden
ple of color,
sixth consecu- participate in a discussion about the values of the Constitution’s
women, or
tive year with writers. SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ/PLAINSMAN PRESS
the poor. I
a discussion
believe it’s
on Sept. 24 in
Room 140 in the Administration of view, and ideas rather than important to remember that,
Building on the Levelland cam- only one, thus creating a useful because those are the issues we
pus. The event , which is open method of making the event not have been struggling with over
to the public, was attended by seem cliché. Faculty participat- the last 250 years.”
ing as hosts included Dr. Ron
There was a question-andfaculty and students.
“In fact, we’d love to have Carden, professor of history and answer phase that followed
people from the public attend, chairsperson of the History De- the discussion. This includes
and although we do not have partment, Larry Norris, associate the audience asking any quesmany from the public who do, professor of government, Dan tions they might have, as well
I think that it makes it a little English, assistant professor of as allowing them to include any
opinions they feel should be
more interesting,” said Michael government, and Smith.
An integral part of the Con- shared. Any question in regard to
Smith, assistant professor of
stitution Day discussion was one’s personal political views are
government.
The topics presented during that the Constitution was writ- encouraged, and the questions
the discussion vary from one ten in 1787, and the way in asked do not have to pertain to
year to the next, and the diver- which one viewed society then the information presented dursity helps keep the annual event is completely different than our ing the discussion.
“We take all sorts of quesfrom becoming too predictable, views now.
The presentation also points tions, and I think that it would
or routine. The signing of the
Constitution took place on Sept. out that the Constitution is not be more interesting if we started
getting angry questions and
17, although it is celebrated on perfect.
“We have to understand radical questions so that we can
Sept. 24.
“ We just try to choose a dif- that as brilliant as they were, in have a diverse discussion, rather
ferent topic each year so that we some aspects it all comes down than it being calm and polite,”
are not talking about the same to the obvious, that these were Smith said.
lenge” and retraced the original
route from 1907, spanning 9,500
miles in 35 days.
“I have my 1909 Model T,”
Anderson said. “I bought her to
run in the 2007 Peking-to-Paris
rally. I thought it was time to get
her back on the road, and this
looked like a good cause and
a good bunch of people to be
associated with.”
The Zen Commanders’ Model T has few amenities, and its
top speed is a little more than
50 miles per hour. Anderson’s
“Southern Belle” is equipped
with a mini-bar that the guys
call their “emergency kit” in case
of breakdowns. Mounted in the
middle of the car is an old-fashioned compass suspended by
gimbals that Lubbock Sheriff
Kelly Rowe jokingly referred to as
the Model T’s GPS navigation.
Other teams included a
husband and wife who are promoting organic eating along
the route. Tail Fins and Chrome
are filming their reality TV show
during the course of the race.
Racer Marc Klaas is founder of
the Klaas Kids Foundation, which
works to keep children safe and
promotes awareness of missing
children. Klaas is the father of
Polly Hannah Klaas, who was
abducted from her home and
murdered at the age of 12 nearly
two decades ago.
Participating as the rally’s
honorary track chairman is the
legendary Valentino Balboni,
who served as test driver for
Lamborghini for more than 40
years. Upon Balboni’s retirement, Lamborghini named their
newest addition to the Gallardo
line-up, the LP-550-2 Valentino
Balboni, in his honor.
At the end of the race, the
teams will vote for the most
hospitable city. Martin said that
during the starting line photoops, many of the drivers told
him that they already knew
that they were going to vote for
Lubbock.
“We take that for granted
here in West Texas,” said Martin.
“We’re taught from the time we’re
old enough to understand to be
hospitable. To say ‘Yes ma’am’
and ‘Yes sir,’ shake people’s hands
and look them in the eye. That’s
not the way it is around most of
the United States, and so when
people come here, they see
those outward manifestations
of courtesy and hospitality, and
they’re overwhelmed by it.”
song writing and music business
seminars. Leigh has been in the
business for almost 40 years.
He is known for writing many
famous songs, but the one he
is widely known for is, “Don’t It
Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” The
song was a number one hit for
artist Crystal Gayle.
Leigh has also written songs
that have been recorded by Reba
McEntire, Billie Dean, The Dixie
Chicks and others.
“He’s very experienced,” said
Banks. “He is also very knowledgeable about the business.”
Leigh will be presenting
two workshops, from 11 a.m. to
noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., in the
Commercial Music Building.
“He will be doing some performing, playing his songs, talking about his career, and talking
about his writing,” said Banks.
The workshops are part
of a class for SPC students, but
anyone can attend, especially
those who are interested in writing music.
Later that evening, Leigh
will be the featured guest artist
during the “Thursday Nite Live”
show at 7:30 p.m. in the Tom T.
Hall Recording and Production
Studio. Leigh will be performing
three or four songs. The show
will broadcast live on SPC TV
Channel 10 in Levelland, Littlefield and Morton.
Admission is free for everyone, and the public is also
invited to attend.
If you miss the show, TNL
rebroadcasts on LISD-TV Lubbock Channel 12 at 10 p.m. on
Saturdays.
For more information, contact Tammy Amos, secretary
in Commercial Music, at (806)
716-2281.
Nashville songwriter to
speak to aspiring musicians
Constitution Day event discusses
imperfections of founding document
Opinion
4
October 4, 2010
Plainsman Press
Tea Party sinking Republican ship
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
The Tea Party movement will
split the Republican Party for the
Presidential election of 2012.
It’s going to happen as long
as Republicans continue to let
the extremists in their party be
the voice. If they don’t watch it,
their “Frankenstein” is going to
go haywire.
Christine O’Donnell, Republican candidate for Senate in Delaware, is just the latest example
and the possible foreshadowing
of the party’s future.
She defeated Mike Castle,
a nine-term U.S. Representative
and former Delaware governor,
for the Republican nomination
after gaining support from the
Tea Party movement.
O’Donnell gives Sarah Palin
a run for her money as the village idiot of the GOP. Like other
GOPers, she continues to run on
a platform that discriminates
against homosexuals, lower and
middle class families, and the
non-religious, keeping low taxes
for the wealthiest Americans, as
well as continuing to help breed
propaganda that isn’t based on
facts.
On an episode of “Politically
Incorrect,” O’Donnell said, “We
took the Bible and prayer out of
public schools. Now we’re having
weekly shootings. We had the
‘60s sexual revolution, and now
people are dying of AIDS.”
So, weekly shootings happen because we’re finally practicing the separation of church
and state? It couldn’t be because
Americans are able to buy assault rifles.
On a 2007 episode of “The
O’Reilly Factor,” she said that
there are American scientific
companies that cross-breed
humans and animals and are
developing “mice with fully
functioning human brains.”
Do I even need to explain
why this is absurd? Do you really
want her in an elected office?
The fact that O’Donnell was
able to receive a nomination
shows just how powerful the Tea
Party movement really is. It’s undeniably been underestimated.
Moderate Republicans need
to take hold of the party before
it’s too late.
It’s not a good thing when
your most identifiable members
are talk show hosts (Bill O’Reilly,
Glenn Beck)
and people
who haven’t
even completed a
single term
in office
without resigning (Yes,
that would
be Palin).
Palin is
most certainly going
to run for
President in
2012.
T h e y
aren’t going
to gain enough momentum
and a large enough following
to win a Republican Presidential
nomination. But they will have
enough so that if Palin was cho-
sen, she could become a third
party candidate and steal votes
from the Republican nominee.
The chances of her being
picked up as a Vice Presidential
nominee like in
2008 will be just
as likely as it was
then. It’s basically
shooting yourself
in the foot.
I do believe
Palin would put
herself before the
party, thus successfully splitting
off.
I n n o way
would it be in
their best interests as a party
to split into two
separate voting
groups.
Smalltown upbringing has advantages
by LARA BIDWELL
staff writer
I’m from a small town. That
means that everyone knows my
business.
I have repeated this half
my life when people asked me
how I like having grown up in
a small Texas town. Everyone
who grew up in a small town
such as Ropesville knows that
this is true.
At some point, every kid
who lives in a small town wants
to get away. When you are raised
in a small town, you are raised
by the whole town, not just
your parents. When you are a
teenager, this can be quite annoying at times, because you
don’t want anyone knowing
your business.
Most kids do not really begin to appreciate what growing
up in a small town really does
for them until they’ve already
moved away. You grow close to
your whole community, especially through school. The same
people watch you mature and
grow up until you move away.
People knew me so well
growing up in my town, even the
police recognized
my truck. During
my senior year, I
told the policeman
when my class was
planning on doing
the senior prank so
that he knew not
to worry if he saw
anyone breaking
into the school.
Yes, it can get
annoying having people know
exactly what you
did last night, or
whose party you
were at during the
weekend. But you
learn that all that
means is people are watching
out for you and trying to keep
you out of trouble.
It feels good knowing that
a whole community loves and
cares about you. The same people watch you grow up and mature throughout school, church,
and even beyond that. These
To snooze or not to snooze
by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor-in-chief
The sun is rising in the sky.
The light is coming through the
window.
You know what time it is. It’s
time to get out of bed. No, just
a few minutes more. The alarm
has not even gone off.
Unless a strong, moderate
Republican emerges who is
able to bring in and quiet the
loud, irrational voices of the Tea
Party, the Republican Party will
be severely weakened by losing
out on a number of votes.
Regardless of all this, I don’t
think President Barack Obama
will have a problem being reelected, but it certainly gives the
GOP a chance at winning.
And even if they don’t make
a great showing in 2012, a split
party is never a good thing, and
can and will set them even farther back than they are now.
Party splits don’t happen
overnight. They don’t rejoin that
fast either.
I’m not saying that this is the
end of the Republican Party as
we know it, but at least for the
immediate future.
If you are one of these peo- minutes could be used to eat a
Five minutes later, the alarm
ple
who
is always on-the-go and small breakfast in the mornings.
starts to make noise. You know
can
never
find himself or herself For some, those extra minyou should get up. But the bed
utes could be used for
is just so comfortable, and
some gaming time or
you have a whole hour to get
other things of that
ready anyway. So you dismiss
nature, or even homethe alarm with the intention
work you forgot to do
of getting up in at least 10
the night before.
minutes.
The point is that
Finally, you drift back off
extra
time can be used
to sleep. Everything is just so
to
make
a difference in
peaceful…
getting
to places on
All of a sudden, in your
time.
While
the idea
dream, an alarm goes off,
of
getting
an
extra
and it reminds you that you
Photo
illustration
by
Ellysa
Gonzalez
10
minutes
of
sleep
have to be somewhere. With
is
appealing,
it
is
not
a startlingly uncomfortable
responsible.
anywhere
on
time,
I
suggest
a
wake-up call, you jump out of
One of the most important
bed and look at the clock. Those change. As difficult as it may be
things
that teachers try to teach
to
actually
use
those
extra
five
“extra 10 minutes” are actually
throughout
school is time manminutes
that
you
give
yourself
almost 30. The morning then
agement.
Why
is this one of
every
morning,
sometimes
they
turns into a blur as you rush
the
easiest,
yet
most
difficult,
can
be
beneficial
to
you!
through your routine in order to
concepts
to
learn?
Just
think.
Those
extra
five
get somewhere important.
Some people are great at
managing their time wisely and
keeping their stress level low.
Others cannot seem to get anywhere on time. For whatever the
reason, we leave 10 minutes late
with the intention of arriving
somewhere about five minutes
early. Newsflash: That is most
likely NOT going to happen! I
should know! I’ve done it myself
a couple of times.
Believe me, I am working on
the change. While some might
disagree, I think I have made a
little progress. With this opinion,
I hope to encourage others to do
the same.
The next time you find yourself reaching over to completely
dismiss your alarm, pause for a
second and think of the consequences.
kinds of things make
you happy to live in
a small town.
When you grow
up and move away,
yo u re a l i ze h ow
much you miss that
small town. Most of
all, you miss the people who supported
you and knowing
people understand
your situation in
life.
Right now, you
may still be happy
you got away from
your small town to
go to college. You
may be happy you
finally got to move to a bigger
city that has more than one resturant, a mall, and a house that’s
not surrounded by cotton or dirt.
Some day, however, you’ll miss
it, and you’ll see how city kids
have a disadvantage because
they were not there.
There is nothing wrong with
growing up in the city, and it can
have its advantages as well. But
no real smalltown Texas kid will
tell you that he or she wished
to have grown up in the city. A
real smalltown kid takes pride in
where he or she came from, and
the community that helped get
him or her to where he or she
is now.
The next time you can’t find
a lift to school because you don’t
know anyone, or you get a ticket
from a cop who doesn’t know
you by name, remember all the
good things that came out of
that small town you are from.
Look at it this way, even
though everyone in the town
may know your whole story,
at least more than one person
cared enough in your life to
learn it.
compiled by
LARA BIDWELL
& MANDI TORRES
“Yeah, it’s worth a hundred
dollars to stay off it for a
week.”
Erica Frentress
Junior
Anthropology
Lubbock
“Yeah, I don’t need to
be on it 24/7.”
“Yeah, it’s a hundred bucks, and
it’s not that hard to stay off
Facebook.”
John Almager
Sophomore
Engineering
Midland
“Yes, easily. It’s not that big of a
deal to me, just something to do.”
Xaunviayer Wheeler
Freshman
Architecture
Lubbock
“Yes, I can use all the
money I can get.”
Santana Soliz
Sophomore
Physical Education
Plainview
Wesley Quigley
Oh, yeah I don’t depend on
Facebook. It helps that I’m older.
I didn’t have it in high school.” Holly Neal
Senior
Nursing
Lubbock
Freshman
Radio/TV/Film
Olton
5
Opinion
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
Roots in farming provide good foundation
by RACHEL RAMIREZ
staff writer
If you ever really want to
make somebody laugh that’s
not from around here, start tossing around some farming lingo
at them.
For example, my husband,
Eric, asked my sister, Lala, what
she had planned for the summer. With a straight face, Lala
told him she was going to be
doing a lot of hoeing for some
extra money.
“Well, Rachel loves to hoe,”
he said, laughing. “Why don’t you
take her, too?”
Yeah, it didn’t stop there with
my less-than-mature husband,
as he got into a discussion with
my brother and my father, both
farmers, about how many strippers they planned to have on
hand for the harvest. According
to my husband, a handful would
be enough, but my brother,
ignorant at what he was driving
at, disagreed. According to my
brother, he didn’t have enough
workers to ride that many strippers, and that it would cost way
too much money anyway.
No matter how many times
I slapped my hubby on the back
of the neck, he still wouldn’t stop
laughing at that one.
What he didn’t get, but does
now, is how words such as hoe, or
strippers, or cotton were the very
roots of our everyday vocabulary
growing up.
I grew up in Brownfield, and
after high school, I picked up
and moved away. I couldn’t wait
for the day when I could pack
my stuff, put it all in the back
of the car and drive out as fast
as I possibly could. As I drove
off for the last time, I watched
my younger brother Manuel
and my mother in the rearview
mirror waving goodbye. My
mother died in Brownfield just
a few years ago, and my brother
never left.
Manuel started hoeing at
around the age of 11 and has
been working in the fields for
the same man ever since.
He never got a chance to
leave, as he got his first girlfriend pregnant at the age of
15, quit school, and began
raising cotton full time, making
minimum wage and praying for
a good harvest bonus at the end
of the year to make Christmas
something for his family to remember. He’s a good man.
He reads my homework,
and I can see in his eyes how
be that these teens had other
problems in the home. Maybe
his or her parents were having
problems, or he or she was being
bullied in school. I think having
experienced that part of my life
already I can relate to how being
alone feels. Of course, I think of
music as a coping mechanism.
But he or she may turn to that
sic for
a l l
muthe
pens. For
that is a
Like I said,
person is
gins
she
ado-
much he wants to go to school.
But he sees his circumstances
as insurmountable, as he never
even got his high school diploma or GED. And working 12
to 14 hours a day, he knows he’ll
never get it done.
Media not to blame
for behavior of teens
some people,
way of living.
it is all in how a
raised. It bewhen he or
is an
l e s cent.
by ERICA PAUDA
staff writer
Adolescence may by far
be the most crucial point in
everyone’s life. That is the part
in the life course that can either
make you, or break you.
It is where he or she learns
their culture, diversity, and right
from wrong. Major influence
also comes from the parents,
and how they decide to raise
their children.
A huge concern is when
parents decide to let their children watch whatever they want
that comes onto the television
screen. Or even let them listen
to any kind of music he or she
wants. Then, when these kids
start acting rebellious, parents
blame it on the mass media.
This is something that I
highly disagree with simply because it is the fault of the parents
that do not censor what their
kids watch, and what they listen
to. I remember back whenever
teens were committing suicide
listening to Marilyn Manson, and
it became a huge problem in
society. But it is not his fault. Last
I checked
this was a
free country. People
can say
what they
want in
their music, and
not be at
fault for
the negative outcome in
how people portray
it.
H e
is not to
blame for
how teens
portray
his music,
and how
they will
interpret
it. It could
possibly
negative reasons.
They may not know that when
lyrics say things like ‘kill yourself,’
or ‘everybody has to die’ it should
not be taken literally.
I am a hardcore fan of Slipknot, and back when they first
came out they were so angry in
their lyrics all of the time. That was
their way of venting their anger
that everyone begins to have
in their twenties. That does not
mean that I will take everything
they say to heart and say, ‘this is
the issue to my problems.’
The mass media also seems
to be blamed for violence arising,
and that this is why people become more prone to committing
a crime. That to me is a bunch of
bull because there are plenty of
other reasons why crime hap-
be raised
they have
stick up for
they were
poor area. I
Some
people may
in a way that
to always
themselves if
raised in a
for one know that
that is very true. I see half of my
family resorting to violence because that is the only way he or
she knows how to solve an issue.
It may not be the right way to
react to something, but it is how
they were raised to think. It is not
like they sat there and watched
all of these gangster movies one
day and said, ‘Now I’m going to
go and commit a crime and get
arrested.’ No.
I
can maybe
see that we
as humans
may see the
violence,
and acknowledge
it, but that
does not
mean that it
is our absolute instinct to resort to it.
The mass media is not the
entire blame, and is in no way
portraying all negative things.
I say that if we were raised like
regular human beings, that
we all know what is right from
wrong, and we all determine our
own fate.
His wife, Clarissa, also looks
over my shoulder and asks questions about photography. Like
Manuel, she quit school to be a
full-time mom. But she takes pictures when she can of the things
she sees as beautiful, things
such as the white blossoms of
cotton as they bloom close to
harvest, the workers manning
the tractors, and portraits of her
children. She has quite a good
eye, and she is a good woman.
So how did I get back here?
I left that day so long ago and
moved around a little, but missed
my family and wanted to be
closer to my mom, who now lies
down a red dirt road close to her
childh o o d
home.
She rests
n o w
where
s h e
played
as
a
child.
She was
a good
woman
as well.
I
missed
m
y
aunts
and my
uncles,
m
y
brothers
and sisters, and
I missed
t h e
smell of
the red
dirt after
a hard
rain. I
also brought my son back home
to be closer to his family. But one
thing is certain, he’ll never work
in the fields as I did, or as my
brother Manuel does. Little Gabriel is meant for other things.
So, words that used to work
as punch lines for my husband
now seem more commonplace
to him. He talks of the harvests
with my brother and my father,
and sometimes goes with them
to work when he gets a chance.
Don’t tell my husband this, but
I also brought him with me to
show him my foundation and
what it is that makes me work
so hard at holding on to my
family.
Military look inspires fall menswear
by AMANDA BROWN
staff writer
Hello boys!
In the first issue, this writer
gave the girls a heads-up about
what will be a fashion must this
fall. Boys, now it’s your turn!
These fashion tips are for
all the college guys out there
who need help understanding
how to “dress to impress” the
girls. Remember, you only have
a few seconds to make a good
first impression. And the more
frequently you impress, the
more girls you will get. What guy
does not want that, right?
So, let’s get started. First and
foremost, if you have any cutoff, or sleeveless shirts, THROW
THEM OUT! Or, at least save them
for the gym. They are not attractive. They do not show off your
arms, only your farmer’s tan and
armpit hair. Yuck!
Next, wash your clothes.
It is not so much about what
you wear as it is how you
wear it. Girls are very
fashion conscious and
can spot a wrinkled
or dirty shirt a few
hundred yards away.
When and if you go
out, dress up! And
no, that T-shirt in the
back of your closet
that says “I’m With Stupid” doesn’t qualify as
being dressed up.
Ok, enough with the
don’ts. Time for the dos.
On the top of the list is
hygiene, hygiene, hygiene!
Shower, use deodorant, and
go light on the cologne. As far
as clothing, men’s fashion trends
are more stable and tend to
move a bit slower than women’s
fashion trends. If you want to go
casual, you can’t go wrong with
a nice polo, jeans, and a casual
shoe.
But this fall’s distinctive hot
new look for men is to go military!
It’s the hot new look for
2010, blending a classic style
and military flare. There are
some key pieces to the trend.
One is a great military style coat.
These coats can be worn with
dress pants or jeans! A popular footwear is Aviator boots,
and they too can be worn with
slacks or jeans. Also, a great pair
of jeans completes this look.
Be sure to stay away from light
colors.
This year’s fall military fashion embraces
both Army and Air
Force style. This
final produc t
leans toward
an element of
looking preppy. Don’t be
afraid to add
a light turtle
neck to the outfit.
A sharpdressed man not
only looks good, but
feels good as well. So
go ahead and take good
care of yourself. This
sharp military look is a
very popular look with
the ladies. So, be prepared to
attract a bit of attention.
Remember what ZZ top
said, “Every girl’s crazy ‘bout a
sharp-dressed man!”
6
Opinion
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
‘Plus size’ celebs inspire positive outlook for women
by FELICIA GUZMAN
staff writer
As the average size of the
American woman is now a size
14, fashion has finally started
changing, too.
Being a size 6 is not as realistic as it was 15 years ago. And
I couldn’t be happier. I’m a big
girl with big demands. Just like
any other girl, I like nice clothes
and awesome shoes.
Today’s media and television shows are starting to be
more appealing to heavier set
girls. Popular TV shows and
movies that star large women
are taking off at rates unlike
before.
The popular musical “Hairspray” was recently remade in
2007 into a movie, with Tracy
Turnblad being played by Nikki
Blonsky, John Travolta playing
Edna Turnblad, and Queen Latifa
playing Motormouth Maybelle.
These characters are beautiful
plus-size women with feelings
and faults.
ABC Family premiered
“Queen Size,” starring Nikki Blonsky. It was a TV show featuring a
larger girl who is nominated for
Homecoming queen as a joke
and yet continues on to become
the queen.
Lifetime Network
debuted “Fat like Me” to
show how a smart popular, skinny, girl (Kaley
Couco) can get treated
differently when in a
“fat suit.” Couco’s own
prejudice against larger
people is changed during the course of the
movie.
There are several
movies that show larger
women in a positive
light. Take Mo’Nique,
for example. She recently played the abusive mother, Mary, in
the movie “Precious.”
M o’N ique had also
played Jasmine Biltmore in “Phat Girlz.” She is a very
talented actress, and yet she is a
larger woman and proud to be.
The defining movie for me
was “Real Women Have Curves,”
starring America Ferrera. The
movie depicted her life. Her family had issues with her size, as did
she. However, she got into the
college she wanted, got the guy,
and realized that she was more
than just a “fat girl.”
Movies and television are
showing that larger girls are out
there and doing anything they
want. Keeping with these trends,
many stores and clothing lines
are now completely devoted to
plus-size women.
Torrid Clothing is my fa-
vorite. They offer young, trendy
clothing in an array of different
styles. Other stores such as Cato
and Lane Bryant are geared
more toward larger women.
Kimora Lee Simmons, once
a super-model, is now a mother
and owner of Baby Phat. Her
company has a whole clothing line dedicated to plus-size
women who want to be fashion
forward, trendy, and sexy.
Plus-size is not only for
women who weigh more than
200 pounds but for average
women too. Some of today’s
more popular media icons are
considered to be plus-size. Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and even
Serena Williams are considered
to fall into this category.
Look at Kim Kardashian.
She’s a curvy girl. In recent news,
some of her photos have been
airbrushed to make her look
skinnier. Why, you may ask?
Because Kim is not a size 0, but
a real woman. She is, by no
means, overweight. But she’s
labeled plus-size. One can only
ask why.
One of the most recognizable female icons is Marilyn
Monroe. She was a hefty gal, yet
the people loved her. Men loved
her. She had curves that many
people today still consider to be
sexy and appealing.
The same goes for Anna
Nicole Smith. Large or small, she
made news crews and men stop
and take notice. She was said to
be one of the more beautiful
people of her generation.
I’m not advocating that
being overweight is healthy or
good for you. I’m just saying that
as a woman in today’s world, trying to be as small as the models
in Cosmo magazine is unrealistic.
Those models don’t really look
like that. They are airbrushed.
Granted, some may really be that
small. But when you think about
the negative effects that being
that small has, or what they do
daily to be that small, you have
to wonder if it is worth it.
I was not happy with the
way my body
was at one
time. Some
days I still
feel a little
uncomfortable in my
own skin. But
then I look
up to women such as
America Ferrera, Kirstie
A l l e y, a n d
even Oprah.
They are all
strong, beautiful plus-size
women who
h ave d o n e
exactly what
they wanted
to do in this
world. They
made their
dreams come
true. I want
that, and
my size will
never stand
in my way.
I ’ m
proud to be
the way that I am. I am loved by
my friends and family. No one
else has a say in the way that I
am. I want there to be empowerment for women of real size
to be happy about themselves.
No one can make you feel less
about yourself unless you let
Networking sites creating social disconnect
by ERICA PAUDA
staff writer
I think Facebook is a network that keeps me tied with my
friends and family that I may not
get to see every day. I may have
to agree to an extent and say
that I think if people are posting
every little thing they do every
day, then I think they should get
a Twitter account. It’s pointless
to post every detail of your day,
because no one cares!
I do find it quite annoying
when people post simple things,
such as, “I’m making myself a
sandwich, and then I am going
to go running.” That is just stupid
and pathetic. I have better things
to do than read someone’s entire
life in one day on Facebook.
That is not what it should be
used for.
Dice refers to Facebook
We are all at liberty to say
and do what we want, with the
freedom to do it and how we
want to do it.
People may see this a lot
more through networking than
face to face. For instance, Facebook is something that
is used for networking,
and to express things
that may be on our
minds.
Mark Dice, media
analyst, says he believes that the Facebook website is causing people to become
too “self-absorbed”
and “narcissistic.” To
him, it seems that
many people may brag
about themselves a bit
about everything that
happens during their
day.
I do not see a problem with someone giving his or herself credit
for a new hair do that
they may have, and
want to share that with
the Facebook world.
It’s good to know that
our family and friends
are happy with what
is going on in their
lives.
I do kind of see
where Dice is getting
the idea that people
are “narcissistic.” This
may be inferred on my
part when I see people
constantly posting pictures of themselves on
a daily basis. By that
point, I think that you
need to get over your- Photo Illustration by Johannah Segura
self. No one cares.
as people “posting pictures of
themselves every day chronicling their life as if they are the
star of their own reality show.”
I may not go to the extent of
uploading a mobile picture every chance I get. I’m pretty sure
people could care less what meal
I am eating for dinner (And yes,
I have seen plenty of those on a
daily basis).
I understand that some
people may just simply not
have a life, or he or she devotes
himself or herself entirely to
Facebook. I actually have something better to do with my time.
For instance, I can actually get
homework done!!
Dice also says that there
should be a ‘Facebook Free
Week’ when people should take
time away from networking their
lives on Facebook, and spend
actual time with their family and
friends in person.
I guess I can see where he
was going with that. But being a college student, I do not
really have the time to go visit
my grandparents or parents on
a daily basis. I would love to be
able to see half of my friends that
I talk to on Facebook, but we are
all so caught up living our lives
and constantly staying busy. So
that is not a feasible option for
me. I have Facebook to talk with
family who live in different cities,
or states.
Dice had some valid points
about Facebook, and how people really absorb his or themselves entirely too much. All I can
say is that even though we use
Facebook as a network to connect with friends, there should
be a fine line between conversing with friends, and not putting
your whole life story into it.
I do not even see a problem
with being a little narcissistic
every once in awhile. It is healthy
for us to love ourselves, and love
our lives.
by ASHLEY BAKER
staff writer
Iranian president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad recently stated
at the United Nations Assembly that there was worldwide
speculation that some segments
within the United States government orchestrated the attack
on the World Trade Center to
reverse the declining American
economy.
First off, how dare he make
this accusation about the United
States? Is it not Iran that trains its
civilians to be living bombs? Iran
has made numerous attempts
to attack the United States and
is just trying to cover up the
fact that they started this war.
It is a war that has severely affected the economy and made
stocks plummet to the point that
United States has experienced a
recession. So how could our government be as dumb to aid in an
attack that would only make our
economy worse?
Iranian people claim that
sacrificing themselves for their
country is their ticket into Heaven and believe that they will be
rewarded with many virgins.
How can a country that sacrifices United States is a country where
so many lives and believes this brothers and sisters stand up
way even begin to say that we for one another. Just look at our
created our own attack? They military and how many brave
can’t, because the U.S. Govern- souls are fighting this war Iran
ment is not that stupid. The caused. Iran’s candlelight vigils
government would not attack for the attacks were just a fake
citizens just for its own benefit. scene to make themselves look
Maybe that’s how it’s done in less guilty. But the United States
Iran, but in the United States we is not that stupid. We will not fall
look out for each other whether for this accusation. Our governsomeone holds a political office ment is here for us, unlike the
or not. We are all still one as a government in Iraq, which likes
nation. There is no way the U.S. to kill its citizens. The United
would sacrifice children’s parents States did not and will never
and loved ones to overcome any attack its own citizens to better
economic challenge by aiding in its economy.
any terroristic
affairs.
Is it
not Iran
who says
i t ’s O K
to have
nuclear
weapons? Is it
not Iran
that tried
to attack
the Twin
To w e r s
prior to
the attacks on
the Pentagon
and the
World
Trade
Center
on Sept e m ber 11,
2001?
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The
Iranian President wrongly
accuses U.S. of 9-11 conspiracy
Feature
Plainsman Press
7
October 4, 2010
Greene makes geology crystal clear
of his newer students, is one of biggest challenge is to convey down. Instead, he channels poses an even greater challenge,
by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor-in-chief
his favorite things about being a to students just how impor- those experiences into motiva- because he says that some
tant their opportunity here is,” tion to make himself a better people don‘t seem to realize the
Aaron Greene has taught professor.
importance of the earth.
“I even currently teach some Greene says. “When a student professor.
a variety of grade levels for the
“The earth is incredible, and
“Usually,
I
just
take
that
as
drops,
for
instance,
because
of my former public school stupast 13 years.
we
take
it for granted,” Greene
inspiration
to
do
better,
”
Greene
they
are
a
single
parent
and
He has taught kindergarten dents, which is kind of fun,” Greene
says.
“We
are so dependent upon
says.
“I
know
I
have
many
fl
aws.
they
think
they
are
taking
time
students, college students, and says. “It’s kind of fun to get to
the earth, and
every other grade level in beyet, we don’t
tween. However, through all
give it a sechis transitions through grade
ond thought.
levels, nothing has deterred
We are so
him from reaching his ultimate
much more
goal: teaching Geology at a
concerned
community college.
with texting,
Greene was born in Orshopping, and
egon but grew up in Slaton,
sports than we
Texas. After graduating from
are with the
Texas Tech University, he began
beauty around
teaching as a public school
us.”
teacher for the Slaton IndepenGreene
dent School District in 1997.
s
a
y
s that
He kicked off his career as
t
h
o
u
gh he
a teacher for kindergarten
may
not
know
through sixth grade students.
a
l
l
t
h
e
anHe later moved on to teaching
swers,
his
goal
junior high, where he spent
as an educator
most of his time as a teacher
is to give stuin Slaton.
dents enough
“I mostly taught at the
information to
junior high level,” Green says.
contemplate
“I taught very briefly at the
so that they
high school level. But I always
can find their
wanted to be a geology teacher
own solutions.
at a community college. Now I
This is another
am one.”
one of his faHe received the opportunivorite things
ty to educate students at South
about being a
Plains College through Dr. Aaron Greene, assistant professor of geology, has taught at many different education levels before finding his way to
professor.
Jesse Yeh, who is now Greene’s South Plains College.
“When
fellow colleague and depart- LATASHA SOTO/PLAINSMAN PRESS
y
o
u
share
ment chair. Greene says that
s
o
m
e
thing
he was doing graduate work
fascinating,
something
mysteriI
will
never
be
the
perfect
teachaway
from
their
children,
I
try
at the time that the opportunity know people and see them progcame along to move to SPC. He ress and change and grow and get to let them know that going er. But I have fun doing it. As ous, I try to tell students that I
to college is for the benefit of long as I see smiles and decent don’t always give them all the
then left public school teaching closer to their goals.”
H o we ve r, e ve n t h o u g h their children. When students test scores, I feel good about answers when it comes to the
behind and began teaching at
mysteries of the earth,” Greene
Greene was able to land his dream are so caught up in their social things.”
the next level.
says. “But hopefully I give them
Geology
has
always
been
lives,
they
lose
track
of
the
Since leaving the public job, he has experienced a couple
enough that they can begin that
Greene’s
favorite
subject.
Learnimportance
of
their
future.
It
school system for SPC, Greene of struggles along the way. One
journey to understanding the
ing
about
the
earth
fascinates
is
a
little
discouraging.
To
try
says that he has had the unique of those big struggles has been
mysteries of the earth.”
him,
and
he
tries
to
convey
the
to
convey
that
to
them
is
a
big
opportunity of being able to not being able to get through
One of the ways Greene has
same
kind
of
passion
for
it
to
challenge.
”
educate some of his former stu- to students who seem to get off
been
able to enhance his knowlhis
students.
At
times,
getting
But
Greene
does
not
let
dents. Observing their progres- course from their education.
edge
of Geology is through
this
message
across
to
students
these
challenges
bring
him
“At the collegiate level, my
sion, as well as the progression
traveling. Greene has been
fortunate enough to travel all
over the world. He has been to
Germany, Denmark, Sweden,
Costa Rica, and Ecuador. The
next place he plans on visiting
is New Zealand.
“I think my favorite is always
the next place I want to go,”
Greene says. “For instance, New
Zealand is currently my favorite.
But I have to say that Costa Rica
was paradise on Earth. It was
incredible.”
In his classes, Greene incorporates those personal experiences into his lessons. Being
able to visit famous geological
sights gives him better insight
and allows him to share his
knowledge with the students
of SPC. Greene says that he
couldn’t imagine doing anything
else, anywhere else. According
to him, SPC has a unique environment that is very welcoming
and friendly.
“It seems like some places
have to train people to be friendly,” Greene says. “Some places
have to encourage people to
help. There are so many people
here who just WANT to help. You
don’t have to ask them to do it.
They just WANT to do it.”
It is this atmosphere that
keeps him at SPC. According to
Greene, he loves the atmosphere
so much that he “recruited” his
wife, Rebecca Greene, who is a
speech instructor, to work here
as well.
With a classroom atmosphere as unique as his personality, Greene continues to teach
Geology to the students of SPC.
“It’s challenging to get an
idea from your mind to someone
else’s,“ Greene says, “especially
when it’s a very complex idea.
Students, I’m sure, feel I’m insane
at the beginning of the semester.
They probably come out thinking that way as well.“
by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor-in-chief
and doubts. Ironically, the one
thing that causes these lapses is
the same thing that keeps him
working hard.
“When you expect something and don’t get it, that is
what makes you want to quit,”
Kokorin says. “It’s when your
expectations don’t come along
with the results.”
Kokorin does his best to
eliminate the personal negativity, though. He says that a bad
attitude is one of the biggest
obstacles that anyone will face
to reach success in anything.
“If you have a bad attitude,
you will never succeed,” Kokorin
says. “To succeed, you gotta
have passion for what you do. If
not, you will just be average. If
you want to do more than average, find something that you
like. Find something you enjoy.
Don‘t waste your life. I love track.
It challenges me every day. That
is why I like it.”
Olympic medalist brings talent to SPC
track since he started high school.
Since then, it has become more
than just a hobby.
“I played basketball in middle
school,” Kokorin says. “In high
school, I quit because I couldn’t
play on the team. So I tried track,
later in his life he would become more than just a national competitor. His athletic
He participated in the Beiabilities have taken him global.
jing Olympics. He has competed
The Russia native has had opin several national and internaportunities to travel all over
tional competitions.
the world.
So far, he
“I have been
has had quite
ever y where in
an impressive
Europe,” Kokorin
athletic career,
says. “I have comone that he
peted in track evhas chosen to
erywhere except
improve upon
Australia, South
at South Plains
America, and AfCollege.
rica.”
In the Fall
In fact, it was
of 2009, Anton
his passion for
Kokorin began
track that led Kohis education
korin to come to
at SPC. Since
the United States
he has attendfrom his home
e d, K o k o r i n
in St. Petersberg,
has participatRussia. Accorded in the 200ing to Kokorin, the
m e t e r r a c e,
United States is a
the 400-meter
popular place for
race, and the
aspiring profes4X4 relay for
sional athletes to
the SPC track
train.
team.
“Since I run
I n 2008,
track, I was interKokorin re ested in coming
ceived the
to the U.S. to go
oppor tunity
through training,”
to compete in
Kokorin says. “All
the Summer
of the fastest athOlympics in
letes in the world
Beijing, China.
do their training
He earned a
in the United
bronze medal
States. I want to
in the 400-metry it too.”
ter competiIn the fall of
tion.
2009, Kokorin
Reachapplied for SPC
ing that level Anton Kokorin participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics
with intentions of
of competi- games in Beijing, China where he earned a bronze medal.
joining the track
tion does not JENNIFER HARBIN/PLAINSMAN PRESS
program. He says
come easy. To
that the SPC track
be able to parcoach was one of
ticipate and be competitive, one and I succeeded. After just two the deciding factors in his decineeds to have dedication and years of participating in track, I sion to move to Levelland.
passion. Kokorin has both.
became a national champion.”
“I had a friend in Russia
He has been participating in
Little did Kokorin know that who knows Coach Blaine Wiley,”
Kokorin says. “He gave me his
phone number, and that is why
I’m here. I talked to him. He
seemed like a really nice guy. He
was willing to get me here and
help me with all the paperwork.
Besides, some guys who were
coached by him are ranked in
the top five in the world.”
The program that the SPC
coaches have built has quite a
reputation as well. According
to Kokorin, “SPC is one of the
best colleges in the nation,” with
some of the fastest runners.
“The SPC track team has
been a national champion for
the last couple of years, and it
is the best track program in the
nation,“ Kokorin says. “It also
has one of the best facilities in
the nation, and the coaches are
awarded with ‘Coach of the Year’
all the time. When we come
to the meets… some schools
just don’t want to run with us,
because they don’t want to see
how a junior college outruns another school and beats them.”
Even though he will graduate from SPC in the spring with
a degree in business, with an
emphasis on logistics and supply management, Kokorin says
he plans on transferring to a
university and competing for at
least two more years. After that,
he intends to start building a life
in the United States.
However, at this time, his
main focus for his goal is the
great passion he has for his
competitions.
“You have got to love what
you do,” Kokorin says. “If you
spend so much time and so
much force in that and don’t like
it or love it, then do something
else.”
While it is obvious that Kokorin enjoys competing in track
very much, the success that he
has had in the sport so far has
come with its share of hardships
8
Feature
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
Nation of Druggies:
Pharmaceutical insider recounts darker side of business
by JENNIFER HARBIN
feature editor
Side Effects: Constipation,
stuttering, trouble controlling
urine, drooling, rapid or wormlike movements of the tongue,
muscle spasms of the face, neck,
and back, swelling of the face,
trouble breathing…
And that is just to name a
few.
When “Miranda” was 19
years old, she visited her oncampus doctor at a
university and received a prescription for Zoloft, an
antidepressant
she hoped would
“cure” her extreme
mood swings and
o ve r w h e l m i n g
depression.
The doctor
asked her a short
list of questions
about her general well-being
and came to the
conclusion that
she would benefit
from Zoloft. She
was sent away,
prescription in
hand, confident
that her problems
were solved.
But they had only just begun.
During the years that followed, “Miranda” was passed
from doctor to doctor. They
would listen attentively but
invariably would prescribe her
another medication from the
pool of psychotropic drugs.
She suffered from side effects that most people would
not tolerate, but did it all for
the sake of sanity. All the while
she was shelling out hundreds
upon thousands of dollars a
month in her search to be well
once again.
There were periods of anger
and hopelessness, not from the
depression, but from having to
deal with doctors who seemed
to be working their own agendas.
Nearly every time she visited
a doctor, smartly dressed men
and women would confidently
stride into the waiting room with
their rolling suitcases peddling
their wares.
They are the faces of the
pharmaceutical companies,
which Dr. John Rengen Virapen
affectionately labels “Big Pharma.”
According to Virapen, a psychologist and former executive
director of the Swedish branch
of Eli Lilly & Company, “the driving force (for pharmaceutical
companies) is turnover.”
Virapen worked for the
pharmaceutical industry for
30-plus years and says, as an
insider, that “bribing authorities became a part of my sad
repertoire.”
He says that he recounts
multiple instances when individuals were given gifts, money,
and even offered sex in order
to persuade them to use their
company’s medications.
“Instead of having the
health and welfare of its customers in mind,
many of those in
control are primarily focused
on money,” says
Virapen.
He describes the pharmaceutical industry as being
“deeply mired
in politics, deception, scandal
and corruption,”
going so far as
to say that they
are making the
world a “medicine cult.”
But is this
claim far from
the truth?
“The pharmaceutical industry is constantly searching
for new, lucrative markets—today, it is children,” says Virapen.
In his new book “Side Effects: Death”, Virapen says that
children are being diagnosed
with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder at younger ages
and at alarming rates. To treat
this disorder, the children are
being given what is essentially
legalized speed.
Virapen claims that ADHD
is a ‘fictitious’ disorder, and that
“Why is it that a drug comIn Virapen’s opinion, everyAmericans are being swindled, pany performs a criminal act, one is corruptible.
all the while putting their chil- is convicted in court and fined,
Big Pharma’s mission to
dren at risk.
and they are still selling the make profits is easily attained by
“No one knows about the drug?” he asks.
“bribing researchers to commit
developmental disorders and
If a car manufacturer made research fraud, engage in false
long-term damage (drugs pre- an automobile with defective and fraudulent marketing, lie to
scribed for ADHD) causes,” says brakes, it wouldn’t make it on the public, hide negative study
Virapen. “Nevertheless, it is the market, but medicines with results, conduct experiments on
prescribed thousands of times equally dangerous side effects children in third-world countries,
every day to allegedly hyperac- do.
pollute the planet with drug factive children.”
“Why are consumers better tory runoff, influence legislators
Nearly half of all Americans protected against defective cars with campaign finance contrinow use prescription drugs on than against what happens to butions, dominate the pages of
a regular basis, according to a their bodies, to their health, to medical journals with false and
report recently released by the their lives?” asks Virapen.
misleading advertising, submit
Centers for Disease Control and
“The government politi- “scientific” articles to the journals
Prevention. The most common- cians…align themselves with ghost-written by the drug comly used drugs as of 2008 were the pharmaceutical companies panies themselves…,” according
Statin drugs (used to treat
to Virapen.
high cholesterol), Asthma
The only way that
drugs, Antidepressants and
America can recover
Amphetamine stimulants.
from being a “nation
“With nearly one out of
of druggies” is to emevery five dollars out of the
brace a healthy lifestyle,
entire U.S. economy now
according to Virapen.
being spent on sickness
That includes actually
and disease, America finds
exercising and preparherself stuck in a cycle of
ing healthy meals—not
high-cost drug treatments
something from a box or
that cure no one,” claims
drive-thru window. For
Virapen.
years, people make resoHe says that prescriplutions to eat healthy
tion medications are just a
and exercise more, but
means of controlling sympnot much progress is
toms.
ever made due to lack of
Virapen claims that
conviction. The key, ac“the more pharmaceuticals
cording to Virapen, lies
you take, in fact, the sicker
with natural remedies,
you will become.” Many
real nutrition, and holisof the medications state
tic health education.
Dr. John Virapen is the author of “Side
on the bottle, or with ac“Modern mediEffects: Death” and tells of his experiences
companying informational
cine…is destroying our
while working for the pharmaceutical
sheets, that the medication
country,” says Virapen.
company Eli Lilly.
may actually cause the
“And the ‘cure’ for this
very problem they claim
disease is to throw
to prevent.
out what doesn’t work
Drug companies have no to make money,” he adds. “There (pharmaceuticals) and start
intentions of taking these dan- is hardly a decision made by the embracing the things that do
gerous drugs off the market at FDA that doesn’t in some way work (nutrition and superfoods)
all, according to Virapen.
protect drug company profits.”
to keep people healthy.”
Students can avoid being victims by taking precautions
by JENNIFER VALDEZ
staff writer
ting gas at a gas station, never
leave the keys in the car. Even
if you are just going in really
quickly, it is enough time for a
thief to jump in your car and
drive away without you getting
a glimpse of the thief.
Also, if someone bumps
into your car, never get out and
leave your keys in. It could be a
trap, so then when you get out,
his partner could easily jump in
and take off without you being
able to stop the thief or getting
have virtual credit cards that
have limits, and if people steal
that number well, then you will
not have money to take out,”
South Plains College stusays Dr. Felker. “If you have a
dents should refuse to be vicplan, it will lessen the chances of
tims by paying attention to
getting your identity stolen.
personal safety.
And that’s what the seminar
“Refuse To Be A Victim” is a
provides, a plan.”
seminar to inform the commuStudents who live in
nity about personal safety and
dorms in the area, or share
how to avoid car theft, identity
a house, also can be vulnertheft and being burglarized.
Most students have their
able, says Dr. Felker.
own vehicles that get them
“Most students leave
to where they
d o o r s
need to be.
open, and
Whether they
people
have a new
can walk
car or an old
in and see
clunker, they
if there’s
are still in dananything
ger of being
t o t a k e,”
burglarized.
Dr. Felker
“A l a r m
says.
systems in veH e
hicles wouldn’t
adds that
cut down on
one of the
being burglargreatest
ized,” says Dr.
forms of
Mike Felker,
protection
professor of
to have is
English at SPC
a dog.
who serves as
“ I t
the instructor
cuts down
for the semi- Dr. Mike Felker, professor of English at SPC, will be teaching the
a lot more
nar. “Car bur- upcoming seminar, “Refuse To Be A Victim”.
chances,
g l a r s k n o w MIRANDA GONZALES/PLAINSMAN PRESS
due to a
you won’t
burglar
have the car
wanting
alarm on if you are in the car. any type of description of what to get in and out of that
Most car thieves will go for a the thief looks like. The seminar house as quickly as possible,”
newer car, because they could shows ways of slimming the Dr. Felker says.
sell it for a lot more money. But chances of that happening to
Much like a car, regardgang members will steal old you, as well as other things to less if your home is new or
ones, because they know that if be aware of.
older, they are just as easily
Also, credit cards and debit broken into. Dr. Felker says
they are in a new one, a policeman will stop them to check if it’s cards seem so simple to use, but that students who live in
stolen. So stealing an older one they can be dangerous, Dr. Felker apartments are more vulnerwould help them look like they says. They have information and able, because you cannot
money put inside the simple build on to an apartment to
own the car.”
Another safety tip Dr. Felker plastic card.
make it safer.
“Credit card companies
offers students is that when getThose interested in
learning more personal safety
tips can attend the “Refuse to be
a Victim” seminars on Oct.9 and
Oct. 21. The cost for the threehour seminar is $20 for students and $30 for others, which
includes textbooks, handouts,
pencils and bottled water.
Those planning on attending should contact Kasey Reyes
in the Office of Continuing Education, or Dean Jim Walker, to
pre-register for the event so that
they know how many books and
supplies to order.
“The worse the economy
gets, the worse the crime gets,”
Dr. Felker says.
9
Feature
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
‘True Blood’ star takes on new role as novelist
by FELICIA GUZMAN
staff writer
See you later, Oprah. Maybe
next time Tyra.
Making her way to the spotlight is Tanya Wright, an author
and actress who has a recurring role as Detective Kenya
Jones on the HBO hit TV series
“True Blood,” As Detective Jones,
Wright is a “very grounded
person, a straight shooter,” not
unlike herself.
When asked how she is
similar to her character, Wright
replied, “I am similar to Kenya,
but Kenya seems inflexible
sometimes, and she is definitely
a non-believer -- I, on the other
hand, would totally believe that
vampires may possibly exist.”
Wright regards her time on
“True Blood” more as “play” than
having a preparation or imagining how the line
should play out.
“I am a very instinctual actor, and so
I really do live in the
moment when I’m
acting,” Wright told
the Plainsman Press
in a recent interview.
“Everything depends
on who’s in the scene
and what’s going on
at the moment.”
Before her “True
Blood” debut, Wright
penned her first novel, “Butterfly Rising.”
The story is her self-expression
after the loss of her brother.
“The ‘Butterfly’—with its
four trans-formative stages (egg,
cocoon, caterpillar and butterfly)—is
a metap h o r fo r
c h a n g e ,”
s a y s
Wright.
After
the passing of her
b r o t h e r,
Wright
felt herself
grow and
change
into a
“d e e p e r ”
person
than she had been before.
“The ‘Rising’ (like the Phoe-
nix) is the feeling of rising
through the ashes, like the lotus
flower that only grows in mud,”
says Wright.
“I feel like I am in deep
change—but rising (getting
better, getting stronger, growing
wiser) every day.”
“Butterfly Rising” is a story about the journey of two
women to find themselves in
troubled times. After the death
of her brother, Lilah Belle needs
a change, like the one Wright
feels in herself. She decides to
take a rogue road-trip with the
scandalous Rose Johnson in a
stolen truck.
“It’s never too late to start
again,” says Wright. “That second
chances are infinitely real and
deserved; that FAITH and BELIEF
Cultural pride, goals help
student strive for success
by FELICIA GUZMAN
staff writer
Racial prejudice and stereotypes drive Cinthia Bermea
to surpass the exceptations of
others.
Bermea, who is originally from Farwell, Texas, is the
daughter of Andy and Vikki
Bermea. She came to South
Plains College to follow in the
footsteps of her older brother
Max Bermea.
“He liked it (here) very
much and learned a lot from it,”
Bermea said.
The 18-year-old sophomore
said that she decided to study
law and become a judge.
“I want to change the way
some Hispanic people feel about
the prejudice in the law enforcement agency,” says Bermea.
Being proud of her heritage,
Bermea joined the Hispanic Student Organization at SPC.
“I thought it would be a
good place to get involved in
the school,” she said.
The purpose of the HSO
is to address the educational,
social and cultural needs of
the students on the campus by
promoting educational involvement, leadership, service and
cultural diversity education. The
HSO held a performance that
included singing and dancing in
traditional Hispanic garments in
celebration of Hispanic Heritage
Month. Bermea’s part in the performance was singing.
“I sang and introduced
Mariachi music to SPC,” Bermea
said. “It was a good experience
for me to get Hispanic music out
there and to show people what
Singing and dancing were part of the recent celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month held in the
Snack Bar area of the Student Center.
MANDY CONTRERAS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
kind of music is my passion.”
Bermea says that she
would also like to join the music
program and continue one of her
passions, singing.
After her time at SPC, Bermea wants to continue her education by, “transferring to a university and pursuing my career
as a Hispanic judge.”
She also is a concerned
citizen when it comes to Latin
politics.
“The situation in Mexico
is very sad to hear about,” says
Bermea. “The whole country is
getting ruled by a drug cartel,
and I think it’s time that the law
enforcement over there (Mexico)
do something about it, and also
The Hispanic Student Organization strives to address the needs
of students through cultural diversity.
MANDY CONTRERAS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
the U.S. needs to help out.”
Bermea says that she has
also had her share of personal
struggles growing up as a Hispanic female.
“In high school, some teachers were prejudice against minorities, and I had to prove them
wrong in all competitions I competed in, academically,” says Bermea. “Little did they know of my
talent for public speaking and
acting. I was All-Star cast and
honorable mention my junior
year of high school in One-Act
Play, and my senior year, I was
All-Star cast and Regional best
actress, and we made it to state.
I proved them wrong!”
Bermea is proud of what she
has accomplished and still has to
accomplish.
are integral parts of a joyous life.” role model for young women,
That is the message that Wright Wright replied that she feels
wanted to get across in “Butterfly grateful and honored. She adds,
“I am by no means perfect, but
Rising,” she says.
“Rising” is not only Wright’s my greatest hope is that I can
debut as an author, but also will inspire people to believe and
lead to a new role as a director. ACT on the greatness within
She will play Rose in the film ver- themselves.”
Not resting on her past lausion of “Butterfly Rising.”
“The character I was most rels, Wright also works with BUA
interested in playing in the film (Business of the Unique Artist).
“It is a program that helps
version of “Butterfly Rising” was
Rose, ”Wright says. “It was a char- artists use their creative talents
acter I had never been asked to to become entrepreneurs,” says
play as an actress. She’s deeply Wright. “There are so many
complex, and her choices may creative, talented people who
seem cold and cruel. The novel, are struggling financially. I like
though, peels back the layers of to help them create unique
this complicated girl and shows ways—highlighting their own
you why she does the things she strengths-to support themselves
does. I have great compassion and generate an income. I befor Rose. She’s actually quite soft lieve you should earn money
and vulnerable. By the story’s from the work that you enjoy
doing, and I like helping people
end, you root for her.”
Along with being a busy figure that out.”
Wright is the new triple
actress and author, Wright is still
moving forward with her life and threat. She can act, write, and
dealing with everyday concerns
as any woman
would.
“I haven’t
spent a lot of time
on my personal
life lately,” says
Wright. ”I’ve been
so busy with work.
Marriage? Kids?
I’m not sure what’s
in the cards for me
in this regard, but I
do feel happy and
fulfilled by my
work.”
Look ing up
to people such
as Oprah Winfrey
and Tyler Perry, it
comes as no surprise that Wright
has more projects
in the works. She
is currently writ- Tanya Wright will be starring in the film vering her second sion of her novel “Butterfly Rising.”
novel, filming a
soap opera, “Biloxi,” and has two other shows direct. She is an inspirational
woman who is touching hearts
in the works.
As for being considered a with “Butterfly Rising” and steal-
10
October 4, 2010
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
McMurtry still striking political chords in post-Bush America
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
James McMurtry was born
and raised to be a songwriter.
No doubt about it.
His first concert was seeing
Johnny Cash at the age of 7.
Kris Kristofferson was his second
when he was 9.
“He was the first person
(Kristofferson) I identified as a
songwriter,” says McMurtry. “I
never concerned myself with
where songs came from up to
that point.”
McMurtry saw Kristofferson
a couple years ago again and
was blown away once again by
the legendary writer of songs
such as “Sunday Morning Coming Down” and “Me and Bobby
McGee.”
“He played solo at the Continental Club a couple of South by
Southwests ago,” says McMurtry.
“Only time I’ve been in that room
where you could just hear a pin
drop. All the way out on the
sidewalk.”
“The doors were open, people were just staring through the
doorway. Nobody was moving;
everybody was paying attention.”
It doesn’t hurt when your
mother was an English professor, and your father is one of
America’s most well-known
novelists and screenwriters,
Larry McMurtry, who wrote
“Lonesome Dove” and co-wrote
“Brokeback Mountain,” although
James McMurtry says he’s never
been much of a reader.
Like his favorite songwriters, McMurtry is one who makes
you pay attention.
“I write from fictional characters’ [points of view] most of
the time,” says McMurtry. “It just
gives me more angles. If I hear a
line, I have to think who would
say it.”
The song “Ruby and Carlos”
is one of these that started with
just a single line said by Tim Holt,
a member of McMurtry’s band.
“We came out of a Waffle
House somewhere, and he said, ‘I one way to know that you’re that really did bother me about
It’s no-nonsense, pressing, gave his father a demo cassette
the press coverage on that. and sometimes, isn’t pretty. It’s to pass on to Mellencamp.
guess we crossed the Mason-[ex- making some sort of impact.
When George W. Bush They never mentioned the word the blues.
pletive] Line,’” says McMurtry. “I
“My dad wrote a screenplay
thought, ‘well, that’s a good line; moved back to his Crawford veteran. Those people were
Wh e n I a s k M c M u r t r y for him,” says McMurtry. “Larry
what character would have said ranch, a ‘Welcome Home Bash’ described as wily, anti-war activ- about all this, I sum it up with had a script meeting to rewrite
that?’ I eventually came up with was organized and featured a ists--which they also were--most the Townes Van Zandt quote, the script. I gave it to Larry and
of which that I “There’s only two kinds of music- said, ‘take that to John and see
‘Ruby and Carmet were Viet- -the blues and zippety doo-dah,” if he’ll play it.’ Well, John didn’t
los.’ I really don’t
nam vets. If which McMurtry agrees with want any of my songs but ofknow the logical
that had been before adding, “but, sometimes fered me a chance to record.”
order after that.
m e n t i o n e d , you do need a little zippety dooBut that’s how it
“I didn’t know if I was ready
t h e y wo u l d dah. Having some zippety keeps at the time,” McMurtry adds,
started.”
have gotten the crowd paying attention here “but I didn’t expect the door to
For the lonmore credibil- and there.”
gest time, Mcfly open again so I had to go for
ity with that
Murtry has been
“‘Choctaw Bingo’ is pretty it then.”
movement.”
pegged solely as
Luckily, McMurtry was able
zippety doo-dah,” says McMurInterest- try of his up-tempo, fan favorite to learn on the fly and has cona political songingly enough, rambler about the “North Texas, tinued to grow as both a guitarwriter after the
McMurtry was Southern Oklahoma crystal ist and a songwriter.
success of “We
one of the art- methamphetamine industry.”
Ca n’t M a k e i t
“There for a while, I had to
ists revealed
Here.”
McMurtry may have been tour solo, since I couldn’t afford
t o b e o n writing about Floydada when he a band,” says McMurtry. “I had
By all means,
Bush’s Ipod in wrote the song “Levelland,” but to come up with tunings that
McMurtry is able
a 2005 article as McMurtry explains, “Floydada would fill out the sound. So I got
to pen a great poin “ The New didn’t fit the bill.”
litically-charged
some weird old tunings that I
Yor k Times”
song. But, he’s
In reality, though, the song sometimes pull out.”
(the song ‘Val- fits the bill for every isolated,
not just that. He’s
Throughout the few times
ley Road’).
able to paint a
small town on the South Plains. I talk with McMurtry, he shies
It would
picture based on
“I wrote the song about a away from the “truest, fiercest
probably be friend of mine, Max Crawford, songwriter of his generation”
the emotions evsafe to say that who lived in Floydada and was a label that Stephen King placed
eryone feels and
s o n g s s u c h communist,” says McMurtry.
relates to while
upon him, as well as being called
as “Cheney’s
he name drops
The song was later covered the “Most Valuable Rocker” by
Toy” and “God by Robert Earl Keen, who says “The Nation” magazine. Even
pop culture refBless America he instantly was captured by if both claims are accurate, he
erences from
(Pat MacDon- the song.
Johnny Walker
doesn’t let them go to his head.
ald Must Die)”
to Desert Eagle James McMurtry was among the featured performers at the
He stays modest and ap“It certainly has this hearth
a
v
e
n
e
v
e
r
pistols.
preciative,
even with the compliland
America
feel
to
it,”
says
30th Annual Calf Fry on Sept. 17 in Lubbock.
made Bush’s Keen. “Sometimes I’m a little ments he receives from me.
“I got a lot THOMAS D. MOONEY/PLAINSMAN PRESS
playlist.
of mileage out of
“Well, we basically just steal
more biopic than James is, and
McMurtry he has a broader sense of land- from each other,” says a grinning,
‘We Can’t Make it
Here,’ but it wasn’t because it was band that included drummer doesn’t get attached to the scape.”
humble McMurtry.
Texas Country label, although by
a political song,” says McMurtry. Josh Garner.
Despite the praises, McMurMcMurtry got his start from
Garner was asked by the definition, he plays country and another heartland pioneer, John try continues to stay a relatively
“It’s because it came along at the
right time, and a lot of people Secret Service what his affiliation makes Austin his home (he still Mellencamp, who produced his unknown in the American music
connected with it. The nature of with McMurtry was during the plays weekly at The Continental first two albums, “Too Long in the landscape.
a popular song is that the listener event, something that McMurtry Club when home).
And, that’s probably the way
Wasteland” and “Candyland.”
has taken as a comical, yet a very
No, McMurtry’s grade A
can hear himself in it.”
“He was kind of a Vince he likes it most; being able to be
country tunes are neither Wal- Lombardi kind of guy--winning that bluesman troubadour, proLike most songwriters, Mc- “on the radar,” moment.
It all stems from an event Mart Country nor Red Dirt; is the only thing,” says McMurtry. test leader, social commentator
Murtry writes about the life and
times that surround him. It just organized by Veterans For Peace they’re blues-based Americana “Kind of a tough coach, but really and cult figure rocker onstage
so happened to be when bil- that McMurtry played in 2005 ballads. They’re gritty and worn, good.”
and the average American away
lionaire CEOs were (and still are) outside of Bush’s Crawford com- just like McMurtry’s crooning
He got the deal when he from it.
outsourcing American jobs to pound.
“There was no press coverother countries to fatten their
edited by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
Courtesy of www.quizland.com - Robert Sherman
age really at all,” says McMurtry.
profit.
editor-in-chief
It doesn’t hurt when former “The only people that were really
band members get questioned there were the veterans who ran
by the Secret Service either. It’s that camp—that’s something
CROSSWORD
New Slang: Fleet Foxes seek
‘raw’ sound on sophomore album
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
It’s done.
Robin Pecknold, lead vocalist for Fleet Foxes, recently wrote
on the band’s Facebook page
that the band is indeed finished
recording their sophomore
album, which is yet to be titled,
although “Deepwater Horizon”
is being considered. Pecknold
wrote that we should all expect
“a song or two SOON.”
Pecknold has talked about
the album’s direction in many
interviews, stating that the band
has taken some inspiration from
Roy Harper’s “Stormcock,” as well
as Van Morrison’s “Astral
Weeks.”
Pecknold stated that
they will try to sound “less
poppy, less upbeat and
more groove-based,” and
that they don’t want the
album to be flawless.
As of yet, there is not a
release date for the album.
Although a 2011 date is
more likely to happen, a
2010 date is still possible.
Hip-hop legend Nas announced on his Twitter account
on Sept. 15 that “Lost Tapes:
Vol. 2” will be released before
the new year. “Lost Tapes: Vol.
1” was released in 2002 and has
been praised as one of rap’s best
compilations. “Vol. 2” will be
released on Dec. 14
In other Nas news, the
Queens rapper told MTV that
an upcoming solo album should
be out some time before the
summer of 2011.
This past year, Nas collaborated with reggae great Damian
Marley for the album “Distant
Relatives.”
On Oct. 5, the digital-only
compilation “Subterranean
Home Sick Blues: A Tribute to
Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back
Home” will be released. The
album is Dylan’s 1965 masterpiece.
Indie artists such as The
Morning Benders (“Outlaw
Blues”), Helio Sequence (“Mr.
Tambourine Man”), Fleet Foxes
drummer J. Tillman (“If You Gotta Go, Go Now”), former Hold
Steady member Franz Nicolay
(“It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding”), and Peter Moren of Peter,
Bjorn, and John (“Subterranean
Homesick Blues”) make up the
diverse set of contributors and
Dylan fanatics.
A new documentary chronicling Indie darling Leslie Feist’s
2007 Grammy-nominated,
breakout album “The Reminder”
has been released.
“Look at What the Light Did
Now” debuted at Pop Montreal
on Sept. 29 and is directed by
Anthony Seck. The documentary
highlights the recording of the
album, and the collaborators
who helped on the album (Chilly
Gonzales, Jamie Lidell, and Kevin
Drew), as well as the tour that
followed.
Roots drummer ?uestlove
has announced that he is writing
a book titled “Mommy, What’s
a Questlove?” and will be pub-
lished by Grand Central Publishing. The release date is set for
some time past 2012.
The book will feature “music factoids,
with real life stories,
celebrity encounters, and thoughts
on life written in his
signature stream-oflife consciousness
style.”
In the mean
time, you’ll have to
check out the Roots
and John Legend
collaboration album
“Wake Up!,” which
was released on
Sept.
21.
The
album
is a collection
of mostl y covers from
1960s
and ‘70s
soul music, such
as Curtis Mayfield’s “Hard Times,”
Marvin Gaye’s “Wholy Holy,” and
Harold Melvin and the Blue
Notes’ “Wake Up Everybody,”
which features Common and
Melanie Fiona.
In a recent “Billboard” magazine article Legend explained
that he “was in the middle of
campaigning for Barack Obama
and feeling inspired by the atmosphere in the country at the
time, so [he] wanted to do something musically that reflected
the moment.”
According to the band, the
album’s title was inspired by the
song “Wake Up” by Indie rockers
The Arcade Fire.
ACROSS
DOWN
1. Decay
4. Sixteen
7. Tucker, for example
10. Rumanian coin
11. Principle of Chinese philosophy
12. To be beholden for
13. Animals which bear young
15. A nickname for Edward
16. Assails
18. Animal fluid
21. Family
24. Ancient Greek god of war
25. Slang for a drug addict
26. Discussion group
28. Descriptive heading
29. Temporary departures
31. Noah’s second son
33. Discourses from a pulpit
37. ____ Out
38. Through
39. Expression of amazement
40. Irate
41. operative
42. Cereal grass
1. A mischievous child
2. Queen ______
3. Tramp
4. Woody plant tissue
5. Contends
6. Something inserted
7. To be compatible
8. Feeling
9. _________ Ant
14. Maligns
17. Cliche
18. Vital circulating fluid
19. Period
20. Rechristened
22. Sound unit
23. Before, poetic
27. Speech defects
28. Pile fabric with loops on both sides
30. Profound
31. To hesitate in speaking
32. Pseudonym
34. Paddle
35. Denial
36. ______ - Devil
Answers from Issue 1
11
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
We Came as Romans conquer Lubbock crowd
by MANDY CONTRERAS
staff writer
We Came As Romans has a
positive message to share.
Performing songs filled
with passionate lyrics, heavy
breakdowns, and beautiful
harmonies is how the melodicmetalcore band from Detroit,
Michigan, plans to do it.
The Band of Brothers Tour
traveled to more than 15 states
in the past two months, with
We Came As Romans serving
as the headliners. The tour also
featured Abandon All Ships,
Upon a Burning Body, Confide,
and In Fear and Faith.
The current lineup for We
Came As Romans has been together for a little more than two
years. The story behind their
name isn’t anything special,
according to guitarist Joshua
Moore. It was just a last-minute,
cool-sounding, idea that came
together for the guys just days
before their first show.
We Came As Romans has,
in the few years they’ve been
writing music, been known for
being a positive and uplifting
band, writing songs that preach
what it really means to love one
When asked about the meaning of the band’s lyrics, Moore
responds,
“ I t ’s m o r e
important
to me that
someone can
find a way to
relate to a
song, than for
them to see
the meaning
that the lyrics
had personally to me. I’d
rather they
(the fans)
find their
own meaning.”
T h e
band has experienced a
tremendous
boost of success in the
p a s t y e a r,
and that is
nothing that
happened
overnight.
Moore says
Joshua Moore pleased a lively crowd with fierce
that the band
guitar work on songs such as “Deams.”
members
BRANDON ALVARADO/PLAINSMAN PRESS
put ever yanother, and how the world is
nothing without brotherhood.
Pleased to Meet You:
Heavy Young Heathens
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
Heavy Young Heathens may
have only been a band for a couple years now, but the brothers
duo has been “young heathens”
for quite some time.
Robert Mardo and his
brother Aron used to sell illegal
fireworks as teenagers.
“We used to sell these illegal fireworks we would order
through catalogs from Kentucky to all the kids,” says Robert
Mardo. “An elderly
neighbor lady
called and told the
cops ‘those two
young heathens
are at it again.’”
They ’re still
mak ing just as
much noise these
days with a brand
of early Strokes
meets Black Rebel
Motorcycle Club,
with a solid dose of
Black Keys blues.
“The EP
(“Make Room for
the You”) is a definite growth from
the debut,” says
Mardo. “We made
a conscious decision to broaden
the sound, but
simplify the writing of each song.”
The main inspiration for the
five-song EP was after “reading
article after article” about older
bands reuniting and going on
tour.
“How many times can you
re-package old acts?” asks Mardo. “They get old and boring,
so the title ‘Make Room for the
Youth’ came out of the frustration of that.”
Like their top friends on
their Myspace page (made up
of legendary musicians such as
Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and
Patsy Cline), they record exclusively on vinyl.
“First and foremost, we love
vinyl,” explains Mardo. “The
people that are into the music
we make are already vinyl junkies anyway, so they appreciate
it right away. But, most bands
Myspace profiles in general are
a joke.”
“Lie after fabricated lie. The
top friends list on our Myspace
is the only place in the world
where we get to be ‘friends’ with
all those artists.”
Band: Heavy Young Heathens
From: Solana Beach, Calif.
Albums: “Make Room For the
Youth EP” (2010), “Heavy Young
Heathens” (2009)
Website: http://www.heavyyoungheathens.com
PPress: Do you currently
have day jobs?
Robert Mardo: “[At] One Scoop
or Two.”
PPress: Rolling Stone or
Beatles?
Mardo: “Beatles.”
PPress: What’s your favorite music genre?
Mardo: “Outlaw country music.”
PPress: What’s the worst
music genre?
Mardo: “Pop country music.”
PPress: What’s the last
great film you saw?
Mardo: “Crazy Heart.”
PPress: Ipod or record
player?
Mardo: “We only print our albums on vinyl, so…”
PPress: What’s your favorite book?
Mardo: “‘Howl’ by Allen Ginsburg.”
PPress: Who’s your favorite superhero?
Mardo: “Batman.”
PPress: What’s the last
great concert you attended?
Mardo: “Brett Amaker and The
Rodeo.”
PPress: What would be
the first thing you’d do as
president?
Mardo: “Wash my hands…”
PPress: What are a few
new songs from the past
year that you’ve really
loved?
Mardo: “‘Round and Round’ by
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti and
‘Zebra’ by Beach House.”
PPress: Do you guys have
any guilty pleasures?
Mardo: “La Roux.”
PPress: What’s the strangest or coolest display of
affection from a fan you’ve
received?
Mardo: “Custom, hand-made
ceramic gnome dolls
that looked exactly
like us.”
PPress: If your
band was a film,
what film would
it be?
Mardo: “‘Planes, Trains,
and Automobiles.’”
PPress: What
would be your
dream collaboration?
Mardo: “Jackson Pollack.”
PPress: If you
c o u l d h av e a n y
five people over for
dinner who would
they be?
Mardo: “Harry Houdini,
Muhammad Ali, Iggy
Pop, Sue Mengers (famous talent agent),
and Dylan Thomas.”
PPress: What’s
been the worst job
you’ve had?
Mardo: “Musician in a band.”
PPress: What’s your favorite city to play in?
Mardo: “Nashville, Tenn.”
PPress: Describe yourselves as a band in one
sentence:
Mardo: “Take something honest, and then [expletive] it up
beyond belief.”
PPress: Why should someone see you play a live
show?
Mardo: “Chances are we are
selling what they are “Looking”
for…”
PPress: What’s the craziest, most off-base, or
just plain inaccurate thing
you’ve read about yourselves in a feature?
Mardo: “No comment….Besides,
I was cleared of all wrong doing.”
PPress: In five years, where
do you see yourselves?
Mardo: “Training someone how
to say ‘One Scoop or Two?’”
Seed”, the title track off of their
first full-length album, which
debuted in November 2009. The
song begins with a heavy feel
that ignites the crowd within
the first few notes. With fists
pumping and bodies colliding,
their set is already off to a great
start.
The song ends ironically
with a slow and beautiful repeating verse, “My future started with
the first note that I ever played,
the first note that was ever sang.”
Lead vocalist David Stephens
urges the crowd to sing along.
The repeating verse carries on,
and he motions the crowd to get
louder and louder, though the
music starts to fade out. Soon
enough, the venue is full of fans
singing out the verse. The band
falls completely silent, as the
crowd singing along finishes
out the song, a truly remarkable
sound.
The band played numerous
tracks from their debut album
before announcing it was time
for a new song, a song that only
fans who have access to Facebook have been able to hear.
Titled “To Move on Is to Grow,”
the song will be featured on their
new album, though a release
date has not been set.
Just before the last song
of their set list, Kyle Pavone,
co-vocalist and keyboard player
yelled out to the crowd “and go
Texas Tech!” in regards to the
big Texas Tech vs. Texas football
game that weekend. The crowd
full of mostly college and high
school students begin to scream
out, raising a wave of “guns up” in
honor of Texas Tech and Pavone’s
support for the University.
The band attempted to end
their performance with their
song “Broken Statues,” but with
such a great performance, the
crowd began to
chant “one more
song!” The band
granted the
crowd’s wish and
jumped back
on stage to perform, “Dreams”
with all they had
left.
One thing
can be certain
of the band We
Ca m e As R o mans, and that’s
the passion they
have for writing music and
performing for
their fans. Full
of energy, head
banging, and
guitar swinging,
there was never
a dull moment
in their set. It is
obvious to see
just how much
love this band
has to offer to
anyone willing
to listen.
“I just can’t
picture myself
doing anything
other than music,” Moore says.
“Talking to kids
at shows and
hearing the
ways we’ve inWe Came as Romans, headliners for the “Band of Brothers Tour,” performed at
fluenced people
Lubbock’s Tequila Jungle on Sept. 16. Vocalist David Stephens and company
is awesome, just
captivated the crowd with a mix of fan favorites and songs from their upcoming
a really good
album. BRANDON ALVARADO/PLAINSMAN PRESS
feeling.”
thing they had into the band to
get it where it is now, including
their own personal college funds
and saving bonds. It has been a
constant struggle, he says, up
until the day they were signed to
Equal Vision Records. Moore says
that the band had a motto during their hard times, which was,
“If we weren’t getting further
into debt, then we weren’t working hard enough.” Moore went
on to say, “Always work hard,”
encouraging aspiring musicians
to never give up.
The stage was set in Lubbock, Texas’ very own Tequila
Jungle night club on Sept. 16.
Hardcore music fans had already
had their dose of good music
throughout the night, but there
was not any doubt as to who the
crowd was waiting for.
We Came As Romans sprinted on stage, opening up the
show with the song “To Plant a
‘Thursday Nite Live’ caters
to music lovers of all genres
by LARA BIDWELL
staff writer
South Plains College has
something to offer all music
lovers.
Whether you like country,
rock, or R&B, “Thursday Nite
Live,” has it all in their fun, exciting, and very entertaining shows
this year..
Founded 16 years ago by
Cary Banks, the current chairperson of the Creative Arts
Department at South Plains
College, “Thursday Nite Live” is
an excellent musical event that
is still bringing people together
to this day.
Wade McNutt is beginning
his second season as the new
director for “Thursday Nite Live,”
and takes great pride in his class
and the entertainment they are
able to provide for the community.
If you are looking at being part of the entertainment
instead of being entertained,
you’re in luck. TNL is an auditiononly ensemble. All are welcome
to audition at the beginning of
each semester. McNutt and his
team would love to have new
students who are interested in
joining the cast and adding talent to their outstanding show.
“The thing I love most about
TNL is the variety,” McNutt says.
“It’s not just one genre. The
crowd enjoys Country, Rock ‘N’
Roll, and R&B.”
The 90-minute show is fun
for everyone who enjoys music.
The cast represents all different
generes as well.
“The cast this year is similar
to the show, variety,” says McNutt. “Our percussionist grew
up in the world of Tejano. We
have rock singers, country singers, some students with big R&B
backgrounds.”
Everything done in the show
is done by students. While McNutt helps get them going and
helps them with whatever they
need to make the show great, he
confesses the show is all done
by the cast. To participate in the
show, students don’t have to just
be a musician either. It requires
someone handling the lights,
sound, and video as well.
“In the midst of it all, the
audience enjoys a light show,
video clips, a guest artist, and
witnessing a live broadcasted
event,” McNutt says about his
plans for the show this year.
There are many new faces
in TNL this semester. This year’s
band includes Raymond Everett
from Floydada on drums, Aaron
Pugh from Stephenville and
Nathan Sebesta from Snook
on electric guitar, and Chaney
Rabon from Alamogordo, N.M.
on the bass.
Providing vocals will be
Helen Vivas – Hunt from Lubbock (who also will play piano),
Andrew Beason from Kilgore,
(who will also play electric guitar), Mackenzie Fletcher From
Universal, and Carin Lechner
from Buena Vista, Colo. (who will
also play electric guitar).
The shows this semester will
be Oct. 7, Nov. 4, and Dec. 9 . All
shows are held in the Tom T. Hall
Recording and Producing Studio
in the Creative Arts Building on
the Levelland campus. All shows
begin at 7:30 p.m, and no admission is charged.
TNL is fun and entertaining
for everyone who enjoys music
and a good time.
“TNL is 100-percent fun and
100-percent free,” McNutt says.
12
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
Screen Play: Biographic films dominate fall selections
by JOHANNAH SEGURA
entertainment editor
As the fall semester begins,
I’d like to introduce a new addition to our publication.
“Screen Play” will feature
upcoming movies and some
new material to accompany our
entertainment section. We have
dedicated a lot to our music and
film review pieces in the past,
but we believe it’s a great time
to start up a little place for our
cinema enthusiasts. This column
will be a great source for new
films, rumored releases, and
recommendations.
Film has been a great love
of mine for as long as my mind
will remember, and I’m honored
to be a part of our new addition. I hope “Screen Play” will
become a staple for not only our
new readers, but the veterans
as well.
“I’m Still Here”
Joaquin Phoenix has led
an incredible life. He has played
roles in legendary performances.
As an actor, he has variation and
style. But as a rapper?
The two-time Oscar nominated actor has been out of the
spotlight for the past couple of
years. His last TV appearance had
gossip columnists stark-raving
mad. No one knew what would
come next for Phoenix.
Casey Affleck is the man
behind the new light shining
on Phoenix. The last anyone
had heard about him was that
he wanted to become a rapper.
Affleck has become the one to
document that journey.
“I don’t want to play the
character of Joaquin anymore,”
Phoenix said. “My life is becoming
a film about me not wanting to
make a film.”
All the controversy surrounding him makes this almost
a worthwhile experience. It is
a look into the rise and fall of
Joaquin Phoenix. If it’s not in
the documentary, you can bet it
won’t be long before it surfaces
elsewhere.
“I’m Still Here” hit theaters
Sept. 10.
of James Franco, who plays
Ralston.
The film is based on the
true events that occurred in
2003 during a mountain climbing excursion
b
y
“127 Hours”
The true story of mountain
climber, Aron Ralston is being
retold, this time by director
Danny Boyle and screenwriter
Simon Beaufoy.
Beaufoy and Boyle previously teamed up to bring wonderful adaptations of stories to
the big screen such as, “Slumdog
Millionaire,” “Closer” and “The
Beach.” This time around, the
twosome will be retelling Aron
Ralston’s tale with the help
Ralston, who got himself
into trouble when a boulder
fell on top of him, trapping him
and leaving him helpless for
more than four days.
“127 Hours” is expected to
be released Nov. 5.
“Black Swan”
Natalie Portman’s new film,
“Black Swan” is expected to be
released this December. The film
is a psychological thriller that
delves into the highly competitive world of modern ballet.
Portman plays Nina, a dancer who belongs to a ballet company in New York City.
When her director, played
by Vincent Cassel, chooses her
for the lead as the White
Swan in the production
of “Swan Lake,” she is
thrilled.
Nothing can
stop her from
finally achieving
her dream. Then all
is threatened when another dancer, Lily, (Mila Kunis)
catches her director’s eye.
The two are consumed with
winning the part as their nasty
rivalry takes the lead, and Nina
is faced with the ultimate test,
losing herself to achieve her
dream.
“Black Swan” is set to be
released Dec.1.
“Nowhere Boy”
John Lennon gave us many
great things in his lifetime, many
great songs. Story tellers have attempted to capture his essence
in books and films, but many of
them have fallen short.
“Nowhere Boy” is the story
of Lennon’s adolescent upbringing. It is a great look into the
events that shaped the person
he became. Based on the novel
by John’s sister, Julia Baird, “Nowhere Boy” chronicles post-war
Liverpool, Lennon’s musical
inspiration and gets right to the
point, when he meets Paul McCartney for the first time.
“Nowhere Boy” is set to release one day before Lennon’s
70th birthday, Oct. 8.
Rodriguez’s ‘Machete’ slaughtering box office rivals
by JOHANNAH SEGURA
entertainment editor
Robert Rodriquez is a director who knows gore.
He previously teamed up
with writer and director Quentin
Tarantino to produce a double
feature chock full of over-thetop, lewd and sadistic scenarios
better known as “Grind House,”
which consisted of “Death Proof”
and “Planet Terror.”
The ensemble paid homage to the exploitation films of
the early 1960s and ‘70s. During
those features, previews for
other rumored “Grind House”
films got to make a surprise
sneak appearance as trailers.
One of those films was called
“Machete.”
Danny Trejo plays Machete
Cortez, an ex-Federale trying
to rebuild his life after a run-in
with the notorious drug lord,
Torrez. Upon his arrival in Texas,
Machete is propositioned by a
senator’s public aid to oversee
dirty work involving Torrez and
the senator.
Machete cooperates with
hopes of getting closer to Torrez
and gaining vengeance for his
lost loved ones. At this point,
he has turned into a renegade.
He will stop at nothing to get
to the man who destroyed his
life. He carries one weapon, a
machete.
The story follows a man
on a sadistic journey for vengeance, but also sheds some
light on some very difficult is-
sues, such as immigration, that
are very relevant today. That
the economy in Taiji. Some of
the dolphins are slaughtered
and sold to supermarkets. It
is unknown to a vast majority
of Japanese citizens that this
hunt is taking place, much less
providing “mystery meats” for
supermarkets. Not only were the
citizens of Taiji completely unaware of the hunt, they were also
being misled to believe anything
about the danger of dolphin
meat. Dolphin meat contains
very high levels of Mercury and
is incredibly harmful to humans.
It was even removed from the
school lunch program because
of this little known fact.
That is one of the many
things on the “to-do” list of
O’Barry. With the Help of Psihoyos and a crew of filmmakers,
he managed to breach security
to gain footage of the unthinkable. He took that footage all
the way to the International
Whaling Commissions, where
he was previously banned for
his activism.
His story has made a tremendous impact on society and
helped recruit thousands in the
effort to save sea life. “The Cove”
won Best Documentary at the
2010 Academy Awards and has
garnered more than 40 other
honors. If I could recommend
just one documentary, it would
be “The Cove.”
As for romance, I suppose
we could place “Greenberg” into
that genre. It was delightfully
dark and clever, but sweet. It
was released this past April, but I
know a lot of people who haven’t
seen it yet. Here’s your chance to
be convinced!
Greta Gerwig plays “Florence”, a young and naïve assistant to the Greenbergs, a hip,
wealthy family in Los Angeles.
As they leave on vacation, it is
announced to Greta that the
husband’s brother-in-law would
be arriving to house sit and do
some handyman work in ex-
change for getting him out of
New York City.
Ben Stiller plays Roger
Greenberg, who lives in
New York and arrives back
home in Los Angeles on a
whim. He has one agenda:
to do nothing. As it turns
out, he ends up needing
quite a bit of Florence’s help,
because he doesn’t drive.
Roger becomes intrigued
by her but can’t get past his
previously failed relationship endeavors.
After attempting to reconnect and reconcile with
his past life as a musician,
Roger is forced to accept
that the life he left behind
has changed, and so has
he.
“A Prophet,” directed
by Jacques Audiard, was
my favorite movie of the
summer.
It tells the tale of a
young Arab man, Malik,
played by Tahar Rahim, who is
sent to a French prison where
there are extreme struggles between the Corsican and Muslim
cultures.
Although he has spent a
number of years in a juvenile
detention center, Malik is seen
in an innocent light. There is no
doubt that he has “earned” himself his new six-year sentence,
yet there is a certain quality he
possesses that makes him easy
to like.
As Malik enters prison, he
quickly learns that he will have
no choice but to cooperate with
the Corsicans, who are incredibly dangerous. The Corsicans
do not respect him, but they use
him to get close to the Muslims
because of his cultural ties.
The Muslims do not trust
Malik either, and it becomes an
emotional and psychological
battle for Malik as he struggles
to stay alive on the inside.
After several years of strug-
by day and revolutionary by
night.
Jessica Alba plays an immigration agent, while Robert
De Niro plays a state senator in
Texas.
I have been waiting for this
film for what feels like an eternity, and I was impressed with
Rodriguez’s ability to maintain
vulgarity in an interesting way
that isn’t ridiculous.
Overall, if you fancy gore, a
bit of bad language and naked
women, then “Machete” is for
you.
Despite the unnecessary
cameo by “Lindsanity” Lohan, I
give it five stars.
being said, one can only imagine
the perspective it provides from
the point of an
i m m i gra n t . I t
was over-the top and really
hit the nail on
the head when
it comes to the
racism that fuels
the immigration
controversy.
“ M a c h e te”
i s e ve r y t h i n g
Trejo embodies.
He was made for
this role, and his
scorn makes you
believe that the
story of Machete
Cortez is true.
Alongside
Trejo is Michelle
Rodriguez, a taco stand vendor
gling to make it through each
day, Malik has made himself a
hopes of rebuilding his life once
he makes it through his sentence.
name and has even developed
ties with the outside world in
Day after day, he is gaining more
power, and he is hopeful that he
will be able to survive in the world
once he is released. Whether
or not
he will
l i v e
to see
that
day is
completely
up to
h o w
h
e
plays
h i s
cards.
“A
Prophe t ”
was released
earlier
t h i s
year
a n d
w a s
also
nominated for best foreign film at the
Academy Awards in 2010.
Oscar picks, Indie films among year’s best
by JOHANNAH SEGURA
entertainment editor
During the course of last
spring and this summer, there
were a number of great films
released.
Both blockbusters and
independent films produced
some very impressive work. I’m
pleased to introduce my favorites, and I recommend each of
them to everyone.
“The Cove,” was not a summer film, but a documentary
released earlier in the spring. I
must note it, not only because
of its sheer brilliance, but it is
a moving subject. Together,
director Louie Psihoyos and Ric
O’Barry began embarking on
one of the greatest adventures
of their lifetimes.
O’Barry, a former dolphin
trainer for the television sitcom
“Flipper,” had a revelation. His
days as a trainer on the show led
him to trap and train dolphins.
It wasn’t until he witnessed a
dolphin’s intentional suicide
that he realized there was something very wrong with what
he was involved with. It wasn’t
more than a few days later that
O’Barry was arrested for trying
to free captive dolphins off the
coast of Bimini. Since then, he
has dedicated his life to the
rescue and preservation of dolphins around the world.
Psihoyos and O’Barry began
working together on a project
about dolphin hunting operations in Taiji, Wakamaya, Japan.
The operations are completely
off limits to the public, and the
Japanese work very hard to keep
it under wraps. The dolphin
hunting takes places inside a
small cove. The captured creatures are shipped off and sold
to marine parks and other sea
life attractions all around the
globe.
This generates an enormous amount of revenue for
13
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
No Justice aims for national spotlight with ‘2nd Avenue’
by ANDREW GARVIN
editorial assistant
After establishing a strong
fan base throughout Texas and
Oklahoma, No Justice is on the
road to mainstream recognition.
Their first single, “Love
Song,” went to No. 2 on the Texas Music Chart,
making it their
eighth Top 10
single to date.
The song will be
featured on an
upcoming episode of “North
American Safari”
on the Sportsman’s Channel
in 2011, and is
also featured on
the video game,
Rock Band. Their
first major-label
album, titled
“2nd Avenue,” debuted at No. 53
on the Billboard
country chart,
after being released in July.
This is their
third album to
be released, following their selftitled debut album “No Justice”
and sophomore effort “Far From
Everything.” But it is the first
under the independent label,
Carved Records. Carved Records
is based in Dallas and Los Angeles, with No Justice as the first
country music act to be signed.
The label consists of Founder
and CEO Tim Porter, VP of Operations Phil Thomas (formerly of
UMG Distribution/Fontana, Red
Distribution), and Label Director
Jenn Littleton (CO5 Music, former Sr. Marketing Director/A&R
Geffen Records.)
“Tim went through Nashville and got the who’s who of
the record industry and put
this team together,” said Steve
Rice, front man for No Justice.
“So we have all the connections
and funding that a major label
would give you. But it’s an indie
label, so we also get a lot of individual attention as artists and
creative freedom.”
The band chose to record
the album in Nashville, working
with producer Dexter Green,
who has also produced albums
for Collective Soul, the Bart Crow
Band, and Johnny Cooper.
“Dexter was cool,” Rice said.
“He’s a real talented guy, and real
laid back. He’s one of those guys
that’s easy to work with, but if he
has an opinion about something,
he’ll definitely tell you and try to
sway you. But he’s very talented
and brought the best out of us
that we could possibly give.”
Rice added a personal touch
to the album by writing eight
of the 12 songs featured on the
album, with some assistance
from Johnny Cooper, fellow
singer-songwriter.
“Johnny and I have done
some writing in the past,” added
Rice. “We pass by a lot, going
back and forth from Nashville,
because we both go up there to
write. So he ended up singing
quite a lot on the record. We
have three songs with his vocals
on the new album.”
The five band members of
No Justice include Rice, Jerry
Payne, Cody Patton, Joey Trevino
and Armando Lopez. All are natives of small towns, and their
combined efforts of writing and
performing reflect that fact. But
they went a different route than
they normally have when creating their most recent album.
“We write about what we
know,” says Rice. “We leave the
whole beer-drinking, party thing
alone. It’s been done. But it was
a different approach. We just all
got in the studio and started
playing, changing things as we
went along. A lot of things kind
of took shape and got molded in
the studio during the process of
recording. I listen to the record
now and I don’t think we could
have done
anything
different in
the grand
scheme of
things to
make it better. It’s a good
feeling.”
No Justice shot
footage for
their first
music video
in Lubbock
earlier this
month, and
they also
have footage
from a previous show in
Amarillo. The
footage will
be for their
next single,
“Just Get Going,” and most of the footage has
been shot in the band’s natural
environment, bar rooms and
night clubs.
“We wanted something
professional to put online, instead of just a flip camera,” Rice
says. “We haven’t traveled to
the coasts yet, and we even
have a lot of fans in different
countries that can’t make it to
our show. So it’s cool for them
to see what happens during our
performances.”
Depending on the success
of their first video, No Justice
plans to shoot another video
with a higher budget for their
national release slated for January. “Just Get Going” and “Coming Up the River” are possible
song selections for the video’s
national debut. The band was
originally scheduled to release
nationally in September. But
due to unforeseen circumstances, they decided to change their
image.
“They were actually going
to release us as a rock band on
our national push,” explains Rice.
The Strokes, M.I.A. headline
Austin City Limits Festival
by JOHANNAH SEGURA
entertainment editor
This weekend in Austin,
bands from all over the country
will travel to Zilker Park to perform at the Austin City Limits
Music Festival.
Starting early Friday and
lasting until Sunday night, the
park will transform into a Mecca
for musicians, artists, media and
music lovers, young and old.
With fall approaching, it will
be much more enjoyable, with
cool evenings instead of blistering afternoons in the hard sun.
One band on the lineup I
have yet to see is The Strokes.
After four years out of the spotlight, the band has reemerged,
headlining the festival on Friday
night. In their path is a frenzy of
fans waiting in anticipation to
catch a mind-blowing performance before the band goes to
work on their fourth album.
Other headliners include
Muse, M.I.A., The Eagles, Spoon
and Band of Horses. Phish is
also headlining, along with The
Flaming Lips, who are expected
to mesmerize their fans with
their out-of-the-ordinary performances.
There is definitely something for everybody at this
festival. I was expecting more
hip-hop, Jazz and soul.
In previous years, headliners
included N.E.R.D., Erykah Badu,
Gnarles Barkley, Rafael Saadiq,
and Sharon Jones and The Dap
Kings. Many times, Reggae has
even been a big part of the ACL
Festival, with The Marley brothers, Damian and Stephen having
performed previously.
This year, I’ll be seeing my
old favorites, such as The Black
Keys, Band of Horses, The Strokes
and Spoon. Broken Bells, Edward
Sharpe and Manchester Orchestra are a few bands on my “mustsee” list as well.
For those on the “electro”
bandwagon, Deadmau5, The xx,
Matt and Kim and Miike Snow
are sure to impress and put on
fantastic shows.
If you are planning on attending the festival, I’m sure you
have a long list of bands that
you’ve been dying to see. It’s my
fourth year to attend, and if you
ask me, don’t waste your time
perfecting your game plan. Don’t
wait around for your pal if he or
she is dying to see Phish and
it’s putting your “Muse” time in
jeopardy.
Also, be realistic. If you want
to see headliners and you want
to see them from a satisfying
location, get there early. Getting from one side of the park
to another is tiring, especially in
the heat.
For first timers, be prepared; it’s gross and muddy. There are stampedes of
know-it-alls coming from all
sides. Be smart, safe and expect the unexpected.
Aside from all the amazing music, there are plenty
of other great things to do at
the park. The HOPE Farmer’s
Market will be providing local
fare, including vegan-friendly
and gluten-free foods.
Waterloo Records is a
major attraction for meetand-greets with musicians.
Autographs and discography will be available there
as well.
Art enthusiasts will love
the SoCo Art Market that
features local vendors and
widely acclaimed merchandisers such as TOM’S shoes.
Tickets are all sold out. If
you are still interested, hit up
Ebay and Craig’s List.
Don’t forget about the
after shows as well. There are
still pretty good listings on
the ACL website, with links for
buying tickets to most bands
playing at the festival.
Upon my return, I’ll be
sharing some of my photos
and interviews with some of
the performers at the festival.
Look for a post-show recap in
Issue three.
“In fact, we were set to release since No Justice has released our band with a new sound and
our national single in September. an album. They have lost band gave us a chance to come out in
But we got such good reviews members and fans because of full swing.”
from the Country media that their lapse. But Rice adds that
It may have taken four years
we had to push the release date the third album was produced for “2nd Avenue” to be released,
back to January and reformat for at a perfect time, and not a sec- but the band is not wasting any
the Country market, which I feel ond sooner.
time for their next album.
is a better fit for us anyway.”
“I wrote a song a few days
“I’m a firm believer in the
Being switched from one song writing process,” Rice says, ago, and we’re working on gogenre to another might throw “and if you force it, it’s going to ing to the studio within the next
a band off, but No Justice does sound like it’s forced. This took year,” Rice adds. “We plan on
not have a problem with the four years, and it happened at having something out within the
transformation.
the right time, but also at the next 12 to18 months. No more
“I think music is getting to wrong time. We shouldn’t have breaks.”
where so many boundaries are waited so long. But this record
The band frequents the Lubbeing pushed, and it’s getting to just wouldn’t have been what bock bar scene every couple of
the point where it’s just all mu- it is if we produced it earlier. months, performing particularly
sic,” Rice says. “You either like an I’ve done a lot of writing in the at Wild West, a western bar in the
artist or you don’t. I like people past four years, and we cut out Depot District. Rice didn’t say
not being able to put a stamp on a lot songs that weren’t good exactly why they enjoy performus and not being associated with enough for this album. We lost ing in Lubbock, but he did have
a particular genre. It gives us the some fans, and even members, something worth mentioning.
freedom to create any style we during our break; but it also
“Lubbock has the prettiest
like with our music.”
girls
in Texas,” says Rice.
gave us the chance to rebuild
No Justice has toured
nationally with recognized artists such as Willie
Nelson, Charlie Robinson,
Cross Canadian Ragweed,
Pat Green and David Allen
Coe.
“It was cool meeting
different artists,” says Rice.
“You kind of see what you
want to be like if you get
to that status. Some of the
artists will give you the
shirt off their back, and
some of them won’t even
look at you. It definitely
shows you the type of
person you want to be.”
In 2007, No Justice
had the opportunity to
play at Billy Bob’s, a popular western bar and nightclub in Fort Worth. Out of
this came a live album for
the group. Since 1999, the
Smith Music Group, a music publishing company
in Fort Worth, has issued
a continuing series of live
albums recorded by major
country music artists at
Billy Bob’s, titled “Live at
Billy Bob’s Texas”.
“It’s like winning an
award, or a rite of passage,” Rice adds. “It was
really a stepping stone in
our career. Not all Texas
Country artists have it. But
a hell of a lot of them do.
They’re starting to give
Steve Rice, front man of No Justice, performs at Wild West in September.
that stuff away like stick- Lubbock was also the location for footage that will be used in their first
ers at Wal-Mart.”
music video for their next single, “Just Get Going.”
It has been four years LARA BIDWELL/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Sports
Rodeo teams have high hopes for new season
14
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
by DANIELLE GONZALEZ
sports editor
The South Plains College
men’s and women’s rodeo teams
recently started the new season
with new coaches and many
new faces.
This year’s rodeo teams
feature 24 members, including
eight who are returning from
last year’s teams.
The men’s team consists of
11 members, while the women’s
team consists of 13 members.
Among the top returners for
the men’s team is Ben Ramey,
a sophomore, from Ponoka,
Canada, who qualified for the
College National Finals Rodeo
in the spring. He competes in
steer wrestling and team roping
events.
Newcomers include freshman Asa Daugherty, from Alpine, who competes in the calf
roping and team roping events,
along with Blake Gagnon, and
Cole Jamieson, freshmen from
Innisfall, Canada. Gagnon participates in the steer wrestling
and calf roping events, while
Jamieson participates in bareback riding.
Also, freshman Trey Martinez, from Altus, Okla., participates in bull riding, and freshman
Tad Menefee, from Roswell, N.M.,
participates in team roping.
Brothers Clay and J.T. Pettitt, freshmen from Odessa,
participate in bull riding and
team roping events, while freshman Austin Vanerderlee, from
Stettler, Canada, participates in
saddle bronc riding.
Other newcomers include
Tyson Willick, a freshman from
Saskatchewan, Canada, who participates in steer wrestling, and
team roping, and Lane Wright,
a freshman from Roy, Montana,
who participates in saddle bronc
riding.
The women’s team could
receive a boost from seven returning members.
Returning members include sophomore Coby Auclair,
from Lacombe, Canada, who
competes in barrel racing, goat
tying, breakaway roping and
team roping events, along with
sophomore Clara McBane, from
Muleshoe, who competes in barrel racing.
Sophomore Katie Vierstra,
from Twin Falls, Idaho, competes
in breakaway roping, goat tying, and barrel racing, while
sophomore Jessica Wahlert, from
Galeton, Colo., participates in
barrel racing.
Also back are sophomore
Shiloh Hadley, from Moorcroft,
Wyoming, who competes in
breakaway roping, goat tying,
and team roping, and sophomore Schelli White, from Colorado City, who competes in goat
tying, and breakaway roping.
Sophomore Carley Richardson, from Pampa, competes in
breakaway roping, and barrel
racing.
Newcomers to the women’s
team include freshman Rachel
Bergstrom, from Bashaw, Canada, who competes in barrel
racing, and freshman Kelli Kinding, from Heyburn, Idaho, who
participates in goat tying and
breakaway roping.
Freshman Teanna Matchett,
from Rocky Mountain House,
Canada, and freshman Larami
Stewart from Munday, compete
in barrel racing.
Freshman Laramie Wing,
from Dumas, competes in goat
tying, and breakaway roping,
while Courtney Conklin, from
Jayton, participates in breakaway roping and barrel racing.
The teams traveled to Portales, N.M., for the Eastern New
Mexico University Rodeo, which
was held Sept. 23-Sept. 25.
Richardson led the Lady
Texans to a fifth-place finish
after scoring 105 team points.
She earned top honors in the
women’s all-around competition after finishing fifth overall
in breakaway roping.
In the first round, Richardson finished with a time of 3.9
seconds. She finished with a
time of 12.6 seconds in the second round, and had an overall
time of 16.5 seconds, finishing
the event with 55 points.
“Her roping was good,” said
head Coach Kerry Doster. “She
had a good weekend.”
In barrel races, Richardson
completed the first round in
17.64 seconds. In the short
round, she finished in 18.23 seconds to place sixth in the round.
She had an overall time of 35.87
seconds, earning 50 more points
and a sixth-place finish.
Wing just missed earning
points in the goat tying event.
She completed the long round
in 8.8 seconds, giving her 10th
place, and earning her a spot
in the short round. In the short
round, she also finished 10th with
a time of 12.5 seconds.
Ramey earned 65 overall
points in steer wrestling for the
SPC men’s team, finishing in
fourth place in the long round
with a time of 5.2 seconds. He
finished the short round in 11.6
seconds, for an overall time of
16.8 seconds. He placed fifth in
the event overall.
In team roping, Willick and
Daughrty finished with the
eighth-best time of 8.6 seconds.
They finished the short round in
sixth when they posted a time
of 22.7 seconds, earning them
10 team points. With an overall
time of 31.3 seconds, the duo
placed sixth overall and earned
20 points each.
“We did good this weekend,” Doster said, “but I think
we will do a lot better this next
weekend.”
The rodeo teams traveled to
Alpine for the Sul Ross University
rodeo on Sept. 30. Results were
not available at press time.
Praise, passion drive
dancer to inspire others
by AMANDA BROWN
staff writer
Can Dance” (commercial) and
“That’s So Raven.”
Anderson began modeling
From dance floors to the
brands such as Bright Smile USA,
big screen, Criscilla CrosslandDiet Coke, Reebok Classic, NapAnderson has worked her way
pytabs, Burger King, Bacardi, and
to the top using nothing but her
Hair Do with Jessica Simpson.
love of God and dance.
She has also walked the catwalks
At the age of 30, Anderfor some big names such as
son has already done so much
Christian Audigier & Ed Hardy
with her life. She has been a
fashion shows in Los Angeles.
dancer, choreographer, actress,
Anderson has been married
and model. Anderson started
for more then a year to husband
dancing after high school. She
Coffey Anderson, who is a musistarted out in Las Vegas, Nev.,
cian with a self-titled album that
where she joined a dance group
will come out Sept. 28.
named “Culture Shock.” This
Anderson says, “We are trydance group was led by Napoing very hard to make an addileon and Tabitha D’umo, who
tion to our family.”
are also known as “Nappytabs”
Anderson did a workshop
on the TV show “So You Think
on Sept. 26 at South Plains
You Can Dance.” The D’umo’s
Church in Levelland that was atmoved to Los Angeles, Calif. to
tended by the Texan Cheerleadpursue their careers in dance.
ers and others in the Levelland
“After they left, there was
community.
nothing left for me in Las Vegas,”
Anderson has just come out
Anderson says. “I moved to Los
with her very own instructional
Angeles to work with them.”
video. Being a dancer and acAnderson says that she
tress, it seemed only natural for
“owes everything to the D’umos”
the next step in her life to be in
and gives them credit for everythe fashion area.
thing, even her clothing line,
Just three weeks ago, she
since their clothing line inspired
launched her own clothing
it. After moving to Los Angeles,
line called “1493.”
This number is not
picked at random.
It is very near and
dear to Anderson’s
heart. This number
is a passage in the
Bible, Psalms 149:3
“Praise his name with
dance.” This is a passage that Anderson
says she lives her life
by.
“I want dancers
all over the world
to wear what the
professionals wear,”
Anderson adds.
Anderson says
she has a strong relationship with God
and says she believes
that He put her on
The Texan Cheerleaders recently attended a workshop presented by noted
the path she was alchoregrapher and dancer Criscilla Crossland-Anderson.
ways meant to be
GABBY PEREZ/ PLAINSMAN PRESS
on.
Anderson auditioned for a talent
agency that got her gig working with her first celebrity, JC
Chasez.
This was just the starting line
for Anderson. She soon would
be counted among the most successful and sought after Hip Hop
dancers in Hollywood today. Her
career spans from the stages and
videos of Kelly Clarkson, Katie
Perry, Britney Spears, Pussycat
Dolls, Romeo, Baby Bash, Sean
Kingston, Akon, Cassidy, P. Diddy,
Kelly Rowlad, Rihanna, Black
Eyed Peas, Rooney, Nelly Fertado,
Lil Wayne, Joss Stone, Natasha
Bedingfield, Blink 182, Left Eye,
Macy Gray, Snoop Dogg, Tyrese,
JC Chasez, Ne-Yo, Chingy, Tatu,
Kanye West, and Ludacris among
others.
Quickly moving from dance/
choreographer to actress, Anderson began popping up in movies
such as “Hannah Montana” the
movie, “Bedtime Stories,” “Fired
Up,” “Alvin & The Chipmunks,”
“Accepted,” and “Fat Albert,” as
well as TV shows such as “Celebrity Rap Superstar,” “Las Vegas,”
“Bones,” “Drake & Josh,” “The Jay
Leno Show,” “So You Think You
The men’s and women’s rodeo teams feature 24 members, with eight returning from last season.
The women’s team placed fifth overall at the Eastern New Mexico University Rodeo held Sept. 23
- Sept. 25.
CASSIDY TEAFF/PLAINSMAN PRESS
15
Sports
Plainsman Press
October 4, 2010
Cross Country teams making strides early in season
by DANIELLE GONZALES
sports editor
27.10. Rounding out the team
was Roblet Muhudin, who finished the race in a time of 27.26
and came in 93 rd , and Hugo
Aguinanga crossed the line in
28.11, finishing 122nd.
Also competing for the Texans were freshman Isacc Placenia
and Villarreal, who finished 130th
The South Plains College
and 138th, respectively.
men’s and women’s cross counThe teams participated in
try teams started their season
the Texas Tech Invitational on
with many new faces,
Sept. 17, with the men’s
to go along with a few
team placing third and
familiar ones.
women’s team finishing
The Lady Texans
second.
have two top finishers
Goule paced the womreturning from last seaen’s team by finishing sevson, Lisa Forsberg and
enth overall with a time of
Kadian Dunkley.
18:53. Following closely
“We are young, but
behind her were Forsberg,
we have some very good
who finished eighth with a
talent… and they will
time of 18:57, and Dunkley,
be good leaders for our
who finished ninth with a
team,” said head coach
time of 19:10. Taylor finChris Beene.
ished the course with a
The Texans began
time of 19:24 for 12th place,
the season with only one
while Matthews rounded
sophomore, Elijah Rolout the team scoring by
lock. However, the Texans
placing 27 th with a time
did gain a newcomer
of 20:44.
who has some experiThe Lady Texans finence, Joey Villarreal. Vilished the race with a team
larreal transferred from
score of 56 points.
West Texas A&M and will
“The women’s race
be competing as a sophowas very good,” Beene said.
more.
“Our six girls all ran really
Although there have
well… I was very pleased
been many new mem- Lady Texan Lisa Forsberg participated in the
with their performance.”
bers added to the teams, Texas Tech Invitational on Sept. 17, finishing
Running in his first
Coach Beene still has a eighth overall.
race for SPC, Campbell
good feeling about the BRANDON ALVARADO/PLAINMAN
won the event with a time
PRESS
season.
of 24:12. Coming in ninth
“We have a good
group on both sides,
men and women, so we are
excited about starting the year,”
said Beene.
The cross country teams
participated in the OSU Cowboy
Wyatt when I was here. Coaching
Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla. on by ANDREW GARVIN
editorial
assistant
college basketball is something
Sept. 25.
The bench of the South I’ve wanted to do since I was a
The Lady Texans finished in
seventh place in the team stand- Plains College Women’s Basket- little kid, and when I saw that
ings with 186 points. Leading ball team will look different this it was open, Coach Wyatt had
the team was freshman Natoya year with the addition of a new called and said come for an
interview. I came, and it worked
Goule for the third consecutive assistant coach.
But this coach is no stranger out great.”
meet, as she completed the
Lisle graduated from SPC in
6,000-meter race in 20.71, com- to the team. Michelle Wyatt,
th
2005
and continued her athletic
head coach of the Lady Texans,
ing in 14 .
rd
career
at Tarleton State UniverForsberg finished 33 with recently announced the hiring of
sity,
where
she earned a degree
a time of 23.15, while Dunkley Tara Lisle as an assistant coach.
th
in
Exercise
and Sports Studies
Lisle graduated from Rule
finished the race in 46 with a
in
2008.
This
summer, she plans
time of 23.52. Freshman Kirsten High School in 2003. She was reon
finishing
her master’s deTaylor finished in 23.55, coming cruited to attend SPC by former
th
gree
in Kinesiology
head coach, Lynin 47 . Completing the team
through
Tarleton
don Hardin,
scoring was freshman Leeann
th
State.
Lisle
says that
and played
Cardona, who came in 74 with
she
has
no
intention
of
for the Lady
a time of 25.29.
earning
a
doctorate.
Instead,
Te x a n s
The Texans finished the
she plans on pursuing a career
from
race with 292 points, taking 13th
in
coaching.
place. Freshman Kemoy Camp“Coaching college basketbell led the Texans for his second
ball
is
just what I’ve always wantmeet of the season, completing
ed
to
do,” added Lisle. “Eventuthe 8,000-meter race in 24.33 2003-2005.
ally,
I
hope
to be a head coach
“My two years
and finishing ninth overall.
somewhere.
”
Freshman David Mogi came here were probably
th
Lisle
mentioned
how the
in 56 with a time of 26.33, while the best two years
role
reversal
from
player
to
freshman David Westbury was of my college cacoach
has
its
advantages
with
the third Texan runner to cross reer,” Lisle said. “I
the team.
the finish line with a time of loved it. I liked Coach
was Mogi with a time of 25:46,
while Westbury finished in
26:08 and placed 15th. Placencia
crossed the finish line 26th with
a time of 26:51, and Muhudin
finished 32nd in 27:04.
The Texans had a team
score of 80 points. Beene was
also very impressed with the
performance of the Texan
squad.
The teams travelled to
Hobbs, N.M., on Sept. 11, where
they got the season off and
running. The Lady Texans competed in the Bob Jackson 5,000meter run, while the Texans
competed in the Ross Black
8,000-meter run. The meet was
hosted by New Mexico Junior
College.
Both teams swept the titles, with the Texans finishing
the meet with 19 points and
the Lady Texans finishing with
25 points.
“I was very pleased with
the performances of both
teams this weekend,” said
Beene of the NMJC meet.
The Lady Texans had five of
their runners finish in the top
10. Goule finished the course
in 19:56, finishing a second before Forsberg, giving them the
second and third-place spots,
respectively.
Mogi placed
first in the men’s
race in 27:36.
Coming in
second was Westbury, who posted
a time of 27:54,
while Jonathan
Lira placed fourth
in 28:08. Rounding out the team
scoring was Muhudin, who finished
seventh with
a time of 28:34.
Placencia finished
eighth with a time
of 28:38.
“If we can stay
healthy this season, then we have a
good chance to be
competitive at the
(NJCAA) National
Cross Countr y
Freshman Kemoy Campbell led the Texans in
Championships
the Texas Tech Invitational on Sept. 17.
in November,” said
BRANDON ALVARADO/PLAINSMAN
Beene.
PRESS
The Texans
and Lady Texans
Dunkley finished the run
were to compete
right behind her teammates with at the West Texas A&M Invitaa fourth-place finish in a time of tional on Oct. 1. Results were not
20:36, while Taylor finished sixth available at press time.
in 20:58. Also scoring for the Lady
The teams will be back in acTexans was Matthews, who came tion on Oct. 9, competing at the
in 10th with a time of 22:00.
SPC Invitational in Levelland.
Former Lady Texan named assistant coach
“It’s a lot different,” Lisle
says, “but when the girls complain, or come to me and say
‘Oh well, I don’t want to do this,’
I’ve been through it. It’s easier
for me to relate back to them,
tell them what I went through
and how I did it. We [Coach
Wyatt and herself ] both have
to work together to get these
girls where they need to be.
It’s a lot different being on the
other side.”
This is Lisle’s first year as a
coach, but she hopes to gain
some familiarity throughout
the season.
“I personally don’t have a
lot of coaching experience, so
I hope to learn a lot just from
being under Coach Wyatt,” says
Lisle. “She’s a very successful
coach. I also learned a lot from
Coach Hardin. He was old
school and very intense. When
I was here, I learned so much
from him and Coach Wyatt.”
Lisle brings to the court
several goals she plans on accomplishing this season. One
is returning to the National
Junior College Athletic
Association
tournament.
In 2005, Lisle
was a member
of the Lady
Texans team
that finished
fourth in the
NJCAA tournament.
“They
haven’t been
there since I
played, so
that’s one of
my big goals,
to get the
team back to
the national
tournament,”
Lisle said.
Lisle’s other goals consist of having
a successful
season and, “I
hope the girls
just have fun
this year.”
Former Lady Texan Tara Lisle is now the new
assistant coach for the women’s basketball team.
MANDY CONTRERAS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Kemper newest addition to Texans staff
by DANIELLE GONZALES
sports editor
South Plains College head
men’s basketball coach Steve
Green recently made a new addition to his basketball staff.
Rich Kemper is the newest
assistant coach for the Texans.
Kemper, 27, was born and
raised in St. Louis, Missouri.
While in high school, he was
involved in football and basketball, until getting hurt. Because of his injury, he became
a manager, which helped him
find what he was interested in
pursuing for a career.
“I really enjoyed that aspect
of it,” said Kemper.
Since Kemper was highly
involved in athletics while attending high school, he says that
he felt that coaching was what
he wanted to do,
“I just love what I do,” Kemper said. “It makes it enjoyable,
and every day is interesting.”
His college career started at
Missouri State University, where
he earned an undergraduate
degree in physical education in
December 2005. While at MSU,
he was a manager for the men’s
basketball team for four years.
“ That’s where I kind of
caught the bug,” said Kemper.
After
finishing at
MSU, Kemper moved
on to Saint
Gregory
University,
which is
an NAIA
school located in
Shawnee,
Oklahoma.
He was
t h e re fo r
two and a
half years.
F o l lowing
S a i n t
Gregory’s,
he went
to Drury
University,
where he
received
his master’s
Rich Kemper, a recent graduate of Drury University,
degree in
joins the Texans as the new assistant coach.
Education
ANDREW GARVIN/PLAINSMAN PRESS
in May
2010. While at Drury, Kemper
was a graduate assistant, as
he was taking classes while
attending Drury and coaching
as well.
“I think the players have
a lot more respect for the fact
that not only are you telling
them what to do, but you’re
also doing it yourself,” says
Kemper.
Also while at Drury, Kemper was in charge of monitoring
the players off the court, with
class checks, academic checks
and study hall monitoring,
which meant that he would go
to the players’ classes and make
sure that they were contributing to the class setting.
When his time was up at
Drury, Kemper started looking
for a job, and a friend of his
knew that Steve Green, the
head coach for the Texans, was
looking for a new assistant.
Kemper says that he decided
to give him a call and was lucky
enough to get the position.
Kemper is hoping that he
can help maintain the successful program that Coach Green
has produced during the past 10
years.
“I hope the guys are success-
ful in the classroom… and hopefully produce a winning team on
the floor,” adds Kemper.
Plainsman Press
Spotlight
Risky business....
16
October 4, 2010
Bookies wager it all in illegal
sports gambling world
by CHRIS ALDERETE
staff writer
He was on call 24 hours a
day.
He carried two cell phones
and had to be at the disposal of
his clients seven days a week, especially weekends, particularly
Saturday nights, Sunday, and
Monday mornings -game days.
This is not the life of
a doctor, a lawyer, or
a stockbroker. This is
the life of a bookie.
Keeping books is
not at all what it may
seem to be. Bookies
don’t sit around in
empty warehouses
or run down motels
and they definitely
are not as uneducated as people may
think. It takes patience, it takes organization and, most of
all, and it takes lots
and lots of time.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing,”
James says when
asked what happens
when people place
bets that they cannot
cover. “They simply
get cut off and are
no longer able to
place bets within this
organization.”
“It takes a really chill person
to do what he does,” says Dawson, a longtime friend and client
of “James.”
There are not any broken
kneecaps or threats of any kind
with this organization, according to James. This is for fun, and
making a little money on the
side is just a perk.
James started taking bets
at the age of 18 simply
because he did not
want to get a
real job. At
first, he
did ever ything
by hand,
starting
out with
nothi n g
but
a
small savings account, a notebook, and a pencil. As his business grew, he had to get a second “business” cell phone so that
his personal phone was not ringing off the hook while he was
trying to go about his seemingly
normal life. “I did not know how
high the numbers were going to
get at first,” James says.
Thankfully, the world of
sports gambling is a tight-knit
community. Consequently, he
was able to borrow money from
an associate.
“Of course, at the end of
the season, I was able to pay
him back with interest since he
helped me out,” he adds.
Now in his third year of
operation, James expects that
his business will grow from 15
clients in his first
season to approximately
55 to 60 by
the end of
this football
season.
Last
season, he estimates that, between him and his two other
partners, they grossed about
$25,000 in a single football
season.
He has since ditched the
second cell phone, and his clients are now able to place bets
24/7 online through a private
and secure web site. To protect
himself and all of his clients,
the ser ver
for this site
is based out
of a foreign
country.
“I was
working all
day when I
was working with a
phone,” says
James. “I
would have
set aside
hours each
day just for
it. Now I can
just relax and
check the
website on a
regular basis
just to make
sure there is
not a problem.”
There
is always a
risk of being
caught by
the police, a thought that is
never far from James’ mind.
“I try to keep it among
friends…but it’s definitely on
my mind,” he says.
It is not all fun and games.
James refers to his activities as
work. It is his job. With every
job comes stress, especially
when the stakes get high.
In this business, there is
not a guarantee how much
money is going to be gained
or lost.
“Saturday mornings
get very stressful, and by
Sunday night, I am either
a very happy person or
a very pissed off person
d e e p
down
inside,”
James
says.
“But I try
to have
fun
with it, so it’s not that big of a
deal.”
For many, a gambling addiction is a serious problem.
“It’s not gambling when
you know you are going to win,”
says Dawson, who started placing bets with his father at the
age of 8.
Dawson started placing
bets regularly with his own
bookie about two years ago at
the age of 19. He now wagers
about $300 per week during
football and basketball season.
According to Dawson, betting
money makes watching your
favorite sport or team that much
more interesting and intense.
Thus far, it seems as though
Dawson’s hobby has paid
off.” He says that he hit his
limit (the maximum
amount of money
that he is allowed to
bet with his particular organization) for
the past three weeks
and has been paid out
$300 each time.
“When I win, it feels like pay
day.” says Dawson.
“But when I lose, it’s
pretty terrible.
It kind of ruins
my day.”
To the majority of the gambling community, placing bets
is not an addiction, but more of
a hobby.
“I don’t like to watch football
unless I am gambling,” Dawson
says. “It’s kind of like a hobby. It’s
a challenge.”
There are a number of different ways to bet on sports. There
are straight bets, which is picking
a team to win. There are “over
a n d
unders,” which is betting that
the combined score of the game
is going to be above or below
the “line” (the predicted combined score of the game). These
statistics come from experts in
Las Vegas and can be accessed
online through numerous sites.
There are also bets called
“prop bets,” which involve betting on anything from who is
going to win the coin toss, to
how many safeties and interceptions there are going to be in a
particular game. Then, there are
parlays, which involve betting
on anywhere from two to 10
games at one time. To get paid
out for this type of wager, one
must win all of the bets. But
the benefit is that this type of bet
has a much higher payout.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to gambling.
There are bookies that even take
bets on high school teams.
One very common type of
bet is known as “picking squares.”
This type of gambling has a very
low initial investment and does
not require any skill. However,
it can yield a very high pay out.
Imagine a piece of paper with
10 rows
a n d
1
0
columns
that
make
up a
total
of 100
squares.
To play,
a person
would
t y p i cally pay
about
$20 to
reach into
a hat and
pick one
square at
random,
numbered
anywhere
f ro m o n e
to 100. The
number chosen corresponds to
its respective row and column
that could potentially make up
the score of a football game.
“The only down side to picking squares is that sometimes I
find myself rooting against my
favorite team,” says Ernest from
San Antonio. “Say, for example,
the Cowboys are playing, they
are down by a field goal, and my
number is on the board. I want
my team to kick a field goal so
they can win, but, at the same
time if they do, I don’t make my
money.”
photos by
KAIJA SAMPSON/
PLAINSMAN PRESS