Oct. 1, 2012 - South Plains College

Plainsman Press
South Plains College
Vol. 55 • Issue 2 • October 1, 2012
1401 S. College Ave. • Levelland, Texas
Steve McCurry, National
Geographic photographer,
reflects on eventful career.
Dr. Lois Lee, founder of Children
of the Night, devotes career
to helping victims of human
trafficking.
Anime fans gather for
costumes, comics, fun at
A-Kon 23.
see page 10
see page 9
see Spotlight
Smart shares traumatic ordeal to raise awareness
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
When she was 14, she was
kidnapped at knifepoint and
taken from her bed in the middle
of the night.
Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping from her Salt Lake City,
Utah home quickly became
national news, as the nation
waited to see if she would ever
come home.
“At the point in my life, I
didn’t stand out from any other
girl my age,” Smart, now 24, explained to the audience at the
Lubbock Memorial Civic Center
on Sept. 25. “I woke up and
heard the words, ‘I have a knife at
your neck, don’t make a sound.
Get up and come with me.’ It
wasn’t until the second time he
said it that I really opened my
eyes and realized it wasn’t just
a nightmare and I could feel the
knife line along my neck and
I could see this man standing
over me.”
After getting up and following her captor Brian Mitchell,
who went by Emmanuel as part
of his self-proclamation of being a prophet for God, Smart
describes exiting through the
home’s backdoor and walking
along a street in the woods. At
one point, he even pushed her
down into bushes as a cop car
drove by.
“He kneeled next to me and
said, ‘God, if this work is true,
let this car pass,” says Smart. “I
remember asking him ‘don’t you
realize if you get caught, you’ll
go to jail for the rest of your life.
I promise if you let me go, my
parents won’t press charges.’ He
looked at me and smiled and
said, ‘I know exactly what I’m
doing. The only difference is, I’m
not going to get caught.’
She followed him through
the woods for a while longer
before feeling as if she was getting too far for her parents to
find her.
“I remembered a couple
of stories of kidnapping and
when they found the children,
except they only found their
remains. And from their remains,
they could tell that they were
sexually abused, raped, and
then killed. So all I could think
was ‘that’s going to happen to
me.’ I stopped him again and
said, ‘well if you’re just going to
rape and kill me, could you just
do it here so my parents can find
my remains?’ Just so they know
that I didn’t run away. So they
can have some kind of
closure. Well, my captor looked at me again,
and he smiled and said
‘I’m not going to do
that to you, yet.’ and we
continued on.”
After walking
several miles, Smart
explains that they
stopped at a growth
of trees that she says
were so thick that you
wouldn’t know there
were people inside
there. With tents set
up in the trees, and
tarps covering them,
Smart was unknowingly walking towards
her new home for the
next nine months.
“Out of this covered area came a woman. I had never seen
anyone like her before, she had on long
robes and a cache tied
around her and a long
headdress and long
gray hair,” Smart describes her captor’s
wife Wanda Barzee.
“She opened her arms
and gave me this big
hug, and all I could
Elizabeth Smart appears at a fundraiser hosted by the Children’s
Advocacy Center of the South Plains on Sept. 25.in Lubbock.
VICTORIA LANDERS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Traylor lives inspira�onal life
while coping with disability
by DEVIN HARGROVE
news editor
I would be handicapped,” says
Traylor. “But with these crutches
I can do, I can be, I can become,
whatever I choose. I can become
a victor instead of a victim. I can
look at myself and grow.”
Because of his condition,
Traylor was often away from
his parents as a child, spending a great amount of time in
hospitals. So his early influences
differed slightly from the aver-
time in the hospital as a child.
Being away from his parents
meant that those who would
become influences were other
Despite overwhelming
adult caregivers.
odds against becoming a suc“Being around nurses and
cess, he was able to persevere.
doctors, people who chose
Jerry Traylor is a prime exto come in and visit me, even
ample of a person who has
though they didn’t have to,” says
overcome life’s major hurdles in
Traylor. “That was really an honorder to find success, not only
or, because people didn’t have
for him, but for others.
to drop what they were doing
“I think that society gave
and come visit a small child
me permission to be
in the hospital. So I always
less than perfect,” said
felt so much caring from so
Traylor in an interview
many people.”
with the Plainsman
Traylor continued to
Press. “And that allowed
make progress in dealing
me to get out there
with his condition as he adwith no fear of failure.
vanced in life. He attended
And therefore it allows
college and earned a busime to get out there try
ness degree, along with life
things that other peoexperience, at Western State
ple would not want to
College of Colorado at Guntry for fear of failure.”
nison, Colo.
Traylor took time
“When I was in college
from his life journey
in Colorado, I skied about
on Sept. 20 to speak
three times a week, and what
to South Plains Colan incredible feeling,” says
lege students and othTraylor of his college experiers who attended the
ence. “But when you and I are
event in the Sundown
doing great things, you and
Room of the Student
I are going to fall down, and
Center on the Levelsociety says you’re a klutz,
land Campus.
you’re no good. But the winThe McCook, Nener gets up and gets help.”
braska native, who curSkiing eventually wasn’t
rently lives in Arizona
enough for Traylor. He would
and works as a motiva- Jerry Traylor reflects on his life with an
tional speaker, suffers audience in the Sundown Room on Sept. find his passion in other areas of athleticism.
from Cerebral Palsy.
20.
“I decided I was going
According to Tray- SIERRA TAYLOR/PLAINSMAN PRESS
to run a 26-mile marathon in
lor, Cerebral Palsy is
Denver,”Taylor says. “I was so
a condition in which
slow, compared to everyone
complications arise
else. It was the dumbest thing
during the pregnancy that age child.
“I think it was a real op- I’ve ever done. It was dumb becauses the umbilical cord to
be wrapped around the child’s portunity to be away from my cause I did not prepare.”
Preparation and self-disneck, cutting off the air supply parents so much, especially as a
and causing development is- child,” explains Traylor. “Because cipline are both strong points
I found out that I could really in Traylor’s message to people.
sues in the cerebellum.
Traylor has a very posi- develop my own self, and also Traylor spends a good deal of
tive outlook on life despite his I became much more patient time driving this point home
condition, even going so far as a person, not knowing when when he lectures.
as to view his condition as his I would get all my desires fulfilled.”
strongpoint.
See “TRAYLOR” on
Traylor speaks humbly of his Page 2
“If I did not have crutches,
think is what is going on? Maybe
they just kidnapped me because
I’m the daughter they always
wanted but could never have.”
Smart then began to describe how she was taken into
the inside of the tent, only to see
that the ground was covered in
foam mattresses, blankets, and
pillows. Barzee began to try
and change her into a similar
long robe and wash her, but
Smart resisted, leading Barzee
to threaten that if she didn’t
cooperate, then she would bring
Emmanuel in to rip off her pajamas. After convincing Barzee
that she was clean and could
change herself, Smart was left
alone in the tent until Emmanuel
joined her.
“I didn’t know what fear was
until that day in my life. I was
too caught up crying, but I was
able to pull myself together long
enough to hear him say, ‘I hereby
seal you to me as my wife, before
God and his angels as my witnesses.’ All I could do was scream
‘No,’” says Smart. “He turned to
me and said, ‘if you ever scream
like that again, I will kill you. If
it’ll make it any easier, I can duct
tape your mouth shut.’”
Smart continues, “In that
moment, I knew what was coming next. I begged, pleaded,
cried and I said everything I
could think of to just hold him
off just long enough that someone would find me and rescue
me. It didn’t make a difference,
he grabbed me off the bucket
and threw me on the ground
and ripped the robe off and
raped me. I had never felt so
worthless or filthy or impure in
my entire life.”
When she woke the next
morning, she found that she
had been wrapped to a maple
tree that she wouldn’t be able
to escape from.
“I remember thinking about
the kids who only their remains
showed up, and I started to think
that they were the lucky ones,”
says Smart. “They were lucky
because they didn’t have to live
with what happened to them.
They were in a better place. It
was over.”
See “SMART” on
Page 2
Constitution Day focuses on
upcoming presidential election
by SIERRA TAYLOR
editorial assistant
It was created by the founding
fathers because they did not
trust the education of the public to choose the leader of the
country.
“They only wanted ‘proper
gentlemen’ to vote,” said Dr.
Carden.
When ballots are cast on
Nov. 6, the candidate who wins
the popular vote does not always win the election. It all depends on the Electoral College,
Norris explained. How the Electoral College works is that, each
state has a number of electors
equal to the number of its U.S.
When the Democratic and
Republican parties have their
state conventions, they each
The Constitution of the
choose electors for their state.
United States was signed 225
Texas chooses 38 Democrats
years ago, but it continues to afand 38 Republicans. The party
fect the political world today.
that wins the popular vote in
The Social Sciences Departthat state, sends their selected
ment at South Plains College
representatives to the state
hosted the 15th annual Concapital on Dec. 17 to cast their
stitution Day presentation on
ballot. The first candidate who
Sept. 21. Eight years ago, the
receives 270 votes out of 538
late Robert Byrd, a senator from
automatically wins.
West Virginia, was instrumental
“Some say this is a flawed
in getting the law passed, desystem,” Norris said. “But it has
claring that federal and school
failed four times since 1789. That
establishments had to acknowlis not a flawed system.”
edge ConstituOnce a presition Day.
dent is elected, he
This year ’s
takes on powers
theme revolved
and responsibiliaround the 2012
ties, which are listed
presidential
in Article II of the
election. Dr. Ron
Constitution of the
Carden, departUnited States. Most
ment chairperof the promises that
son and professor
presidential candiof history, spoke
dates make cannot
at what will be
be kept when they
his last Constituare officially in office,
tion Day, as he
because they do not
will be retiring at
have that power.
the end of the fall
The president
semester. Also
has to be a strong
speaking were Larry Norris, associate professor of government,
leader and the ruler
Larry Norris, as- discusses the Eectoral College at the Constitution Day
of the country, but
sociate professor presentation on Sept. 21.
he doesn’t have the
of government, SIERRA TAYLOR/PLAINSMAN PRESS
power many of us
and Drew Landry,
think he has accordinstructor in govsenators, plus the number of its ing to Landry. Congress, whose
ernment.
U.S. representatives. Each state powers are listened in Article I of
“The Electoral College,” said gets a certain number of votes. the Constitution of the United
Norris, “does not have a football That number combined is 538, States, has more power than
team or cheerleaders.”
with 535 votes for the number the president does in most situThe Electoral College is the of congressional members from ations, because they “carry the
method used to choose the each state and three votes from check book,” according to Dr.
president of the United States. Washington, D.C.
Carden.
2
News
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Traylor lives life as motivational influence through disability
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“One of the things that frustrates me is that some people
never get on the starting line,”
Traylor explains. “All I can say is
that when others try to step on
you, don’t listen. It is my choices
that I dictate where I end up. You
and I have to make plans instead
of excuses.”
After graduating from college, Traylor says that he worked
for the United States Treasury for
about six years before becoming
a motivational speaker.
“I never had any experience speaking,” says Traylor. “I
only started speaking because
people began asking me to
speak.”
It wasn’t his disability, how-
ever, which people wanted to
hear about. People wanted to
know about his most amazing
feat in overcoming his obstacle,
walking across America on his
crutches.
“I told my friends about my
idea, and do you know what
they said?” Traylor explains. “I
told them about my plan to run
on my crutches all the way from
the Golden Gate Bridge to the
Brooklyn Bridge, and they said;
‘How can we help?’ ‘How can
we work together to make this
happen?”
The importance of quality
friends is a noteworthy point
whichTraylor makes in his lectures. It is because of his friends,
says Traylor, that he could move
forward with his idea.
Traylor’s journey across
America was quite amazing.
He says that he covered great
distances each day to reach his
goals.
“At times, I was not sure
if I could make it,” says Traylor.
“There were times that were
extremely difficult. It hurt. There
were days that I wasn’t quite up
to it. I was averaging 18 miles
a day.”
One of the more daunting
aspects of the run was keeping
the pace, Taylor explained.
“Can you imagine running
18 miles a day and coming up
to a sign that says ‘Denver 400
miles’?” Traylor says jokingly.
“You have to make sure that your
vision is greater than your day to
day pain.”
Kidnapping survivor works
to ensure safety for children
Just because
tain show’ which
you get started
was about the time I
on the journey
ran across America.
doesn’t mean that
So I sent them some
the hard part is
information, and
behind you, says
they said, ‘This is too
Traylor. When you
much; we would
reach the top, the
like to make a movreal challenge beie.’ Then I quit heargins.
ing from them, and
“ When you
about two or three
get to the top,
years later, “Forrest
there’s more presGump” came out.
sure, there’s longer
So I don’t know if
hours, there’s more
I’m the guy Forrest
expectations,” says
Gump was based
Traylor. “When you
after.”
get to the top,
Traylor has writthat’s when you
ten a book titled,
have to really fo- Jerry Traylor discusses life obstacles with students and “ L i ve C A R E f u l l y,”
cus on who you others on Sept. 20.
which he hopes will
are and how you SIERRA TAYLOR/PLAINSMAN PRESS
convey his message
are going to get
to people.
forward.”
“Caring has
“Every great journey beTraylor conshaped the world,
tinued his journey through gins with a single step,” Traylor and it has certainly changed my
America, accumulating sound explains. “What steps are you life,” explains Traylor in his book.
advice while on the way.
willing to take tonight to be your “However, the type of caring I
“Don’t put yourself in the best, to use your gifts. Be your am especially interested in is
no-passing zone of life,” advises best right here and beyond.”
not so much about our physical
Traylor. “Make sure you’re in line
The run had such an impact needs, but about our emotional
with your visions for tomorrow.” that a Hollywood producer once well-being. The caring I refer to
After many rough nights approached him about making comes from the heart.”
and long days, Traylor made it a show.
For more information about
into Manhattan, where he said
“I talked to a gentleman in Traylor, or to find out more inthousands of people were gath- Hollywood who was producer,” formation about his book, visit
ered to greet him as he finished explains Traylor. “He said ‘We his website at www.jerrytraylor.
his seven-month journey.
would like to put you on a cer- com.
New student government president
sets sight on improving campus life
by ALEX MASON
staff writer
Elizabeth Smart shares her story at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center on Sept. 24.
ALY RICHARDSON/PLAINSMAN PRESS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
After several months,
Smart’s captors took her out of
Utah and to California so Emmanuel could find his second
young “wife.” When he failed
at kidnapping his next target,
he and Barzee discussed going
somewhere else so he could try
again. Smart managed to convince him to ask for a message
from God to go back to Salt Lake
City because she had a feeling
they should.
“I started to think that if he
could use religion to manipulate
people and get everything he
wants, it has to work for me, just
once,” says Smart. “He came back
and said, ‘I think you’re right.’ I
was celebrating inside. Point
one for me.”
While hitchhiking back to
Salt Lake City, two people called
tips in to the police, saying
that they saw Smart walking
along the street. As cop cars
surrounded her and her captors,
Smart was undecided about
how to react.
“First, I was scared to answer because I had been so
threatened and I didn’t think I
could bare to live knowing that
because of my actions, I allowed
my family to get hurt. So, I was
standoffish,” says Smart. “Finally
one of them bent forward and
looked me in my eyes and said,
‘Are you Elizabeth Smart?’ They
handcuffed me and put me in
the back of the car. My own
theory about that is they saw
in me then what I see in me
now, which is that I’m a lethal
weapon,” Smart jokes.
After a happy reunion with
her family, Smart began to move
on with her life and do mission
trips, which led her into advocacy programs.
“People like the ones who
work at the Lubbock Advocacy
Center, people who work every
PUBLICATION STATEMENT
The Plainsman Press is published
every two weeks during regular
semesters by journalism students at
South Plains College in Levelland,
Texas. Opinions herein are those of
the writer and not necessarily those
of the staff, the administration,
Board of Regents, advisor or
advertisers.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
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signed letters to the editor.
Published letters are subject
to editing. Letters should be
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Box 46
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PHONE: (806) 894-9611
ext. 2435
EMAIL: ppress@southplainscollege.edu
single day who try and help
children like me who experienced the same trials and the
same terrible nightmares I had,
those are the people who make
the difference.” Smart continues,
“They are such a huge benefit to
your community.”
Smart says, “It’s such a terrible topic. Nobody wants to
hear that the little boy next door
is being abused or the little girl
down the street got raped, nobody wants to hear that. But in
order to make a difference and
stop this ongoing cycle, talking about it and educating the
public on it, that’s the first step
in making a difference.”
And even af ter going
through such an awful ordeal
as she did, Smart says that the
good in her life outweighs the
bad.
“The day I came home, I
said I was the luckiest girl in the
world, “ says Smart, “and I still
feel that way.”
president, he made a lot of his
plans come into action. As for his
plans for this semester, Neighbors says that he wants to improve campus life for students.
At the moment, he is working
on getting lights put around the
sand volleyball court, which is
located behind the Smallwood
Apartments, so that students
ested in becoming a part of the
Student Government Association at SPC, there are a couple
options. The SGA meets every
Tuesday at 12:15 p.m in the Student Government Office, which
is located in the Student Life Office in the Student Center building. At the meetings, students
can grab a bite for lunch and
While a lot of people, not
just students, don’t get involved
with government because either they don’t understand it
or feel that they cannot make a
change, Cody Neighbors feels
differently.
Neighbors is the
current president of
the Student Government Association at
South Plains College.
H av i n g p re v i o u s l y
served as vice president prepared him for
what it takes to hold
the top spot in office,
he says.
Neighbors is a
graduate of Frenship
High School. A Lubbock native, he was
not involved in student
government in high
school. However, he
said that he enjoys being a part of student
government at SPC.
“Government is all Cody Neighbors is the new president of the Student Government
around us,” Neighbors Association.
says, “if we like it or ALEX MASON/PLAINSMAN PRESS
not. We might as well
have a say in what our
government is doing.”
can continue to play volleyball help contribute ideas for student
For the moment, Neighbors later as the daylight begins to government. If students cannot
is undecided about what he fade.
make the meeting time, they can
wants to study. However, he is
To get these plans put into go by the office any time and
not studying political science at action, Neighbors says that he meet with Neighbors, or with
SPC, though many people have is “in the process of making Jody Reding, the advisor for the
told him that he should look into connections and collecting SGA ,whose office is located next
studying it.
to Neighbors’ inside the Student
resources.”
While Neighbors was vice
For students who are inter- Life Office.
Editorial Staff
Charlie Ehrenfeld / Advisor
Lynda Bryant Work/ Editor-in-Chief
Jayme Wheeler/ Associate Editor
Rachel Gililland / Photo Editor
Devin Hargrove /News Editor
Katie Sommermeyer/ Opinion Editor
Victoria Landers / Feature Editor
Joshua Harris / Entertainment Editor
Tyler Johnson/Sports Editor
Jayme Wheeler/Online Editor
Sierra Taylor/editorial assistant
Caitlin Welborn/editorial assistant
Staff Writers & Photographers
Brittany Rice
Erica Smith
Kara Hughey
Jordan Irvine
Anna Dodson
Randi Adams
Ashleigh Wolbrueck
Joanna Hernandez
Desi Sanchez
Kati Walker
Andrea Larimore
Micaela Luis
Alex Mason
Tessa Atkins
Visit our website at www.southplainscollege.edu/ppress
3
News
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Improvement information, resources needed to further combat human trafficking
(Editor’s note: This story is
the third part of a multi-part
series examining human
trafficking, “Sold: Human
Trafficking,” that began in
Issue #1 and will continue
through Issue #6. Several
staff members took it upon
themselves to inteview, take
photographs and conduct
research. The results of
their combined efforts follow.)
by DEVIN HARGROVE
news editor
Human trafficking is a crime
that no one ever expects to hit
close to home.
The state of Texas has the
leading border in America for
the smuggling of young children into slavery. This is due to
its proximity to Mexico, as well
as the diverse methods of busy
transportation hubs, including the Interstate 10 corridor,
which has been designated by
the Department of Justice as
the number one transportation
route for traffickers, according to
State Representative John Frullo
of Lubbock.
Representative Frullo is a
member of the Joint Committee on Human Trafficking for
the Texas State Legislature. The
committee is designed to take
in information from sources all
across the state, including law
enforcement, victims, medical
and educational personnel, in
order to combat the rising problem of human trafficking.
Part of the problem is that
people don’t realize there is a
problem. According to Frullo,
since the effects of trafficking
are not out in the open, many
assume it’s not a problem within
our own communities.
According to the 2011 Human Trafficking Report published by the state department,
“Studies of populations in countries of origin for transnational
and internal trafficking have
shown that the incidence of
trafficking is highest among
those who have become empowered enough to aspire to
a better life but have few good
options for fulfilling those aspirations. They have attended a
girls’ school and now realize they
are overeducated for the few
options in their villages. They
have seen someone return home
with money to provide for their
families. They have watched a
television show that depicts the
excitement of city life, or they
simply have enough courage
to try and make a better life for
themselves, if only they knew
where to start.”
An abundance of runaways
also contributes to the high
numbers of sex trafficking cases
seen in the state. According to
Frullo, there were 6,000 cases of
runaways in the Houston area
alone, the prime recruiting pool
for traffickers. It is estimated that
one in three runaways will be approached by a trafficker within
the first 48 hours of leaving
home. These chances increase
for females, with one in five girls
being sexually victimized before adulthood, compared to
one in 10 boys.
Frullo explained that one
of the biggest problems being faced in combating human trafficking is the lack of
information and collected
resources about the problem.
The only system currently in
effect for recording human
trafficking data is the Human
Trafficking Reporting System.
It is being used to aid law enforcement and justice officials.
However, many cases have
been misreported or just are
not known, leading to flaws
within the system.
Measures are being taken
to counteract the spread of
human trafficking. In Texas
alone, four task forces have
been set up to curb the rising trend in trafficking. These
task forces, which have led to
more than 554 investigations
and 132 arrests, are federally
funded but still fall short in
the task of combatting human
trafficking, according to Frullo.
Federally funded task forces
across America opened 2,515
suspected instances of human
trafficking between 2008 and
2010.
Even on the legislative level,
combatting human trafficking
is proving to be a difficult task.
Many of the complications associated with trying to combat
human trafficking result from
a difficulty in understanding
the complexity of the problem,
as well as a failure of victims
seeking out law enforcement,
explains Frullo.
“The crime is very dark and
hidden at times,” says Frullo. “We
are just now seeing how pervasive and complex the issue is.
In addition, victims sometimes
don’t want to be known, and
walk in tremendous fear of
being exposed and subject to
the criminal justice system. The
other challenge is that it takes
intensive and collaborative intervention to help victims break
the cycle.”
Attempts have been made
at the state level in order to
fight the problem, Frullo. Some
of these measures have come in
the form of funding for law enforcement or things as simple as
defining the problem at hand.
In 2003, Texas became one
of the first states to pass human
trafficking legislation. HB 2096
created Penal Code chapter
20A (trafficking of persons). This
law established definitions for
“forced labor or services” and
“trafficking,” as well as outlining
offenses and penalties.
Students show off in talent show
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
guez, administrative assistant
to the director of student life,
Reality talent shows are Lynn Dunn, and student athlete
becoming a staple for American Tyrone Johnson. Serving as the
television during the past few master of ceremonies for the
years. So it’s only natural that event was Kin Scott, a member of
the South Plains College campus the men’s track team at SPC.
Opening the talent show
would hold one as well.
was
Bethany Longoria and her
SPC’s Got Talent, hosted
band,
performing a cover of
by the Office of Student ActiviAdele’s
“Rolling In the Deep.” She
ties, was held on Sept. 26 in the
was
followed
by Breeze Pope,
Sundown Room of the Student
singing
Miranda
Lambert’s hit
Center on the Levelland campus.
country
song,
“Gunpowder
and
Though it was the first time the
Lead,”
and
Abby
Bural
dancing
competition had been held, the
to the song “Almost Lover” by A
attendance was impressive.
“The attendance was great, Fine Frenzy.
Next was Samantha Infante,
and they were engaged,” says
who
sang “Something To Talk
Jody Reding, director of student
About,”
by Bonnie Raitt, and
activities. “They didn’t just come
Sarah
Beasley
played the first
and sit. They actually engaged in
original
song
for
the night, titled,
what was going on.”
“Find
a
Way
to
Amarillo.
” Austin
The judges for the contest
Holder
was
the
first
male
dancincluded Reding, Liz Dominer of the night,
dancing to a
dubstep remix.
As the show
continued, Rihanna’s hit single, “Take a Bow,”
was covered by
Leslie Thomas,
and Mike Waller
danced to a
dubstep remix.
D evon M iller
rapped for the
crowd while
members of the
men’s basketball
team danced
and cheered
behind him on
the stage.
Dakota Keyser sang an original song that
he had written
the day before
for a friend who
recently passed
away. Matt Usseny
and Casey
Austin Holder dances to a dubstep song.
Heckman
sang
JAYME WHEELER/PLAINSMAN PRESS
“ Pu m p e d U p
K i c k s ,” b y
Foster the
People and
“Seminole
Wind” by
James Taylor.
M a r garita Lara
performed
Taekwondo
to “Let Me
Love You,”
by Neyo.
She even
punched
a piece of
wood in
half for the
amazed
crowd. Lara
was followed by
Derek Bohl,
who sang
“Sunday
Morning,”by
Maroon 5.
Boone
Wheeler
s a n g “ S u - Derek Bohl, SPC’s Got Talent winner, singing,
perstition,” “Sunday Morning” By Maroon 5
b y S t e v i e JAYME WHEELER/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Wonder,
and Anthorunner-up between Parks and
ny Briones began to sing “Baila- Hernandez. Both received the
mos,” by Enrique Iglesias, and runner-up prize of $50.
then changed to The Wanted’s
First place went to Bohl for
“Glad You Came.” Liliana Hernan- his cover of “Sunday Morning.”
dez followed Briones on stage He received the $150 grand
with a Spanish song.
prize.
Then, Jeremy Parks danced
The successful turn out has
to a mix of popular hip-hop led Reding to plan for a possible
songs, while Heather Strawn and spring competition as well.
Shoshanna Kelsey sang “Hell On
“We were very impressed
Heels” by Pistol Annies. Alex Her- with it,” says Dominguez. “We
rera covered “I’m Made Of Wax, didn’t think we were going to
Larry, What Are You Made Of?” have very many people show up,
by A Day To Remember.
because it was the first time we
Brandon Word sang an had done it. We had posters and
original song titled, “Boyfriend flyers, and we just didn’t know
Material.” And lastly, Elias Mata what to expect.”
led his group, the Rec Krew, in a
Reding adds, “We’d like to
dance routine.
do one in the spring too. We can
When the results were an- access what we can do better
nounced, there was a tie for next time.”
In 2007, the enactment of
HB 1121 and SB 11 enhanced
the State’s ability to combat
trafficking by adding an offense
for benefitting from forced labor,
as well as changing the age of a
victim considered a minor from
14 to 18 years of age.
In 2009, HB 4009 created
the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force. It also mandated
training for various state agencies.
Among the other bills
passed to combat human trafficking, Frullo is responsible for
passing HB 3746, which gives
officers with Internet Crimes
Against Children Task Forces administrative subpoena authority
to more quickly go after those
trafficking using the Internet.
Other bills recently passed
have made an attempt to toughen the laws and punishment
for those convicted of trafficking, as well as helping victims
of trafficking directly. HB 2329
presented by Representative
Senfronia Thompson of Houston
creates an offense for continuous
trafficking, which has no statute
of limitations and on second
offense carries a life sentence
without parole. Also passed was
HB 2329 from Representative Bill
Zedler of Arlington, allowing victims of human trafficking to apply for protective orders against
those who trafficked them.
Measures are being taken as
well to fight human trafficking
on the federal level. On Sept. 25,
President Obama signed into effect an executive order that will
strengthen protections against
trafficking in persons in federal
contracts. The recently-signed
executive order outlines a guide
and rules for federal contractors
in relation to dealing with human
trafficking. Some of the stipulations include setting up whistleblower programs for employees
in contracts exceeding $500,000,
as well as training programs and
background checks vetting for
past incidences of human trafficking among its employees.
Also closely following the
issue of human trafficking is U.S.
Representative Randy Neuge-
bauer of Lubbock, Texas. Neugebauer has promised to strongly
review H.R. 2830, which will
strengthen the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, upon the bill
reaching the House floor.
Despite efforts being made
both federally and at the state
level, the problem of human
trafficking is still pervasive, according to Frullo.
“I think we are just beginning to grasp the problem as
a nation and a state, so it still
remains to be seen how effective
our laws are at curtailing trafficking,” says Frullo. “Punishment
continues to get more strict
and defined for those who are
actually trafficking. We have also
made some headway in how our
laws and law enforcement view
the victims. It used to be that
anyone involved in the trafficking was considered a criminal.
There is now a new and very real
awareness that the victims are
not criminals.”
Just because some laws
have been enacted, doesn’t
mean that people can rest yet.
Until better communication
prevails and better education in
the community is enacted can
the issue of human trafficking
be solved, says Frullo.
“Every session, we evaluate how the laws are working
and what can be improved,” explained Frullo. “Last session, we
increased penalties for traffickers. We are now in the process
of reviewing how those laws are
working and receiving feedback
from the judicial community.
Every session, we move forward
in combating the problem. We
are also evaluating how we collect information on these cases.
We don’t know how big the
problem actually is until we have
better reporting requirements
for law enforcement and the
judicial system. We are working
on that.”
For more information about
human trafficking in Texas, visit
the 2011 Human Task Force Prevention report at https://www.
oag.state.tx.us/ag_publications/
pdfs/human_trafficking.pdf.
4
News
October 1, 2012
Plainsman Press
New lab offers expanded opportunity to engineering students
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
Along with other equipment,
Worley said that there are 16 new
computers arranged around the
perimeter of the lab.
“You will also find tables
located at the center (of the lab)
to be used as working stations,”
added Worley. “We are currently
receiving boxes or kits of materials. We hope to be fully functional
by Spring 2013. We do have a few
projects completed from previous semesters in our storage area
of the Engineering Lab.”
Robert Pearce and Richard
James were pioneers for the SPC
pre-engineering program, according to Worley. He said that
the program grew during their
40-year SPC service.
“We want to take the foundation that they set and take it
to another level,” said Worley.
“This Engineering Lab will help
us achieve this goal.”
Worley said that the preengineering program at SPC
has always had an outstanding
reputation across West Texas,
having now grown to places such
as Johnson Space Center near
Houston.
“We strive to continue our
goal of properly preparing our
students as future engineers and
scientists,” said Worley.
Dr. Ramesh Krishnan, professor of mathematics at SPC, is in
charge of the Engineering Lab
and responsible for ordering supplies and technology, which is
funded through a Title V grant.
“We have acquired a lot of
new equipment to do experiments,” said Dr. Krishnan. “Also,
we have all new computers
in an additional engineering
classroom.”
Dr. Krishnan, said that now
Engineering students at
that Physics has moved out,
South Plains College have a
they can begin to concentrate
new lab where they can use
on the engineering students.
their creativity and imagination
He said with that the new
to design and develop their
computers and workstations,
projects.
the students can apply the
According to Alan Worley,
math they are learning to their
chairperson of the Math and Eninventions and projects.
gineering Department, the old
“We will also be getting
physics lab has been converted
a large bookcase to display
into the new Engineering Lab,
the student projects.” said Dr.
with physics moving to the SciKrishnan.
ence Building.
Dr. Krishnan said the SPC
“All of our engineering classpre-engineering program is
es/majors will utilize the lab,”
growing and proving to be imsaid Worley. “Our engineering
portant to the educational fuclasses include Introduction to
ture of engineering students.
Engineering, Statics, Dynamics,
“More than 90 percent of
Plane Surveying, and Circuits.
SPC engineering students go
Worley said that engineeron to graduate with degrees
ing is the practical application
from universities,” said Dr. Krishof science and math to solve
nan. “The dropout percentage
problems, and “it is everywhere
Dr. Ramesh Krishnan, professor of mathematics at SPC, says that the new pre-engineering lab
rate in pre-engineering at Texas
in the world around you.”
should be completed during the Spring 2013 semester..
Tech is about 40 to 50 percent.
“Our engineering students
LYNDA BRYANT WORK/PLAINSMAN PRESS
South Plains College is preparwill receive a healthy dose of
ing its students to attend and
calculus-based mathematics,
do well at Texas Tech and other
which is needed to become an
large universities by giving
engineer,” said Worley. “However,
them a strong foundation in
the students need to learn how
mathematics.”
to transform those theories and
Dr. Krishnan said that last
math practices into effective
semester, the pre-engineering
engineering design.”
students competed at Texas
Worley said the new Engito leave and that the closest has a policy requesting “No
by RANDI ADAMS
Tech and won first place with the
neering Lab will afford students
location to the event that they Solicitation.”
staff writer
UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)
at SPC the opportunity to ap“We support all manners
would be allowed to occupy
built by the students in that
ply the material discussed in
of art, but some come to capiwas
the
parking
lot
of
the
department. The project will be
their classes using a “hands-on”
The First Friday Art Trail
talize on our hard work and
on display at the new Engineer- event in Lubbock was at the Lubbock Avalanche -Journal,
approach and develop mechaare exploiting our visitors,”
about
two
blocks
away.
ing Lab.
nisms that serve a purpose,
center of a local controversy that
Members of the West said Hagy.
just as they would do as future
took place in early September.
She also stated that the
Texas Roller Dollz, a local roller
engineers.
According to various derby team, were also present Nightmare actors were told
blogs posted by 94.5 KFMX to pass out recruitment flyers last year that they would not
Dj’s Driver and Wes Nessman, and were asked to leave as be allowed to pass out flyers
the actors from “Nightmare on well.
because of being “abusive of
19th Street,” a local haunted
“We were told ‘the Night- the privilege” in the past. They
house-themed attraction, mare people ruined it for were also asked to leave three
were asked to leave the Art everyone’,” said Allison Terry, times before LHUCA enlisted
Trail held on Sept. 7. The a sophomore at South Plains the assistance of a Lubbock
Nightmare group arrived in College and a member of the police officer.
full costume and make-up and Roller Dollz. “We were just
“I spoke with the chief of
by ASHLEIGH WOLBRUECK because the plant and its assets the investment with Diamond were passing out flyers to talking to people about join- police, and he told me that
promote their re-opening on ing derby.”
are now owned by Conestoga Ethanol LLC.
officers have the right to ask
staff writer
Energy. However, with the purThat’s exactly what Dia- Sept. 29th at the Buddy Holly
Djs from other local radio anyone to move at any time,”
Levelland/Hockley Etha- chase by Conestoga Energy, a mond Ethanol LLC and people Center.
stations such as Kool 98 and said Hagy. “We have to offer
According to a blog post- 102.5 KISS FM also wrote our audience a consistent
nol LLC was shut down in 2011 sale agreement required a waste such as Kirkpatrick want to do
when it ran into financial prob- water contract with the City of for this city and its residents. ed by Wes Nessman, a local Dj blogs on their respective web- experience.”
lems and has been purchased Levelland.
Conestoga recently held a job and part-owner of Nightmare sites, with headlines such as
Regarding the online conby new owners who plan to
“The waste water contract fair for the plant that has cre- on 19th Street, the actors were “Is The ‘First Friday Art Trail’ troversy sparked by the local
reopen the plant next month as with Conestoga essentially ated 35 positions needing to be approached by a representa- for Certain Kinds of Artists Dj’s, Hagy said, “As a center,
Diamond Ethanol LLC.
means we will provide affluent staffed. Along with the plant, tive of the Art Trail and were Only?” and “Kids From ‘Night- we weren’t going to get inLevelland/Hockley Etha- water through cleaning waste there needs to be workers to asked to leave. The group then mare on 19th Street’ Were volved. (We’re) not going to
nol LLC was opened in 2008 water back to the plant for their run the waste water treatment, moved on to the Icehouse Kicked Off the First Friday Art get into a shouting match on
and produced the biofuel until production,” says Shawn A. Kirk- so there are positive things for at the Louise Hopkins Un- Trail?” Landon King of Kool the Internet. Our philosophy is
2011, when they began having patrick, executive director of the community to look for, ac- derwood Center for the Arts 98 posted, “I’m not going to we don’t discriminate against
financial difficulties and filed for economic development for the cording to Kirkpatrick. Also, the (LHUCA) on Avenue J where get into the reasons that’s not anyone. You come down here
reorganization under Chapter City of Levelland.
amount invested with Diamond they were approached by a right, since we ALL pay taxes (to LHUCA) and you see all
Ethanol LLC through representative of LHUCA and for the use of those streets. sorts of people interacting.”
the contract with a Lubbock Police officer.
Hagy also stated that LHUThat’s not the point really.
According to Nessman’s The point is that these actors CA extended an offer to Nessthe City of Levelland
will pay the city and blog, they were also told that are walking pieces of art. They man to come visit LHUCA, but
school taxes, but no Avenue J is considered to be are everything that the FFAT is he declined, demanding a public
property taxes will private property during the Art supposed to be about!”
apology first.
come back to the Trail, which is held on the first
The First Friday Art Trail will
According to Tanja Hagy,
Friday of each month. Once coordinator for the First Friday be celebrating its 100th Art Trail
city on the plant.
“Conestoga En- again, the group was asked Art Trail, now in it’s eighth year, in January.
ergy Partners are
committed to the
plant being open
and producing ethanol all year,” says
Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick and
his team with the
City of Levelland,
The Levelland ethanol plant recently was purchased by Conestoga
along with DiaEngery Partners, LLC from Kansas.
mond Ethanol LLC,
ASHLEIGH WOLBRUECK/PLAINSMAN PRESS
are committed to
doing what is best
for the community
11. When companies are going
Kirkpatrick has been in the amid the new changes. It can be
bankrupt, like the ethanol plant, position for about a year now hard when a business struggles,
Chapter 11 provides an op- and is familiar with the chang- but it seems that the commuportunity for a company to stay es to the plant and its new nity will receive benefits from
operational and pay off creditors agreements. He says that he the sale and new contract with
during a period of time.
is very committed to wanting Conestoga Energy.
Levelland/Hockley Ethanol to help by providing jobs and
“Right now, they are runLLC cost approximately $62 mil- bringing money back in for the ning water through the plant
lion to build and had 35 employ- community.
to clean it and prepare for its
ees operating it before it ran into
“The waste water contract reopen,” says Kirkpatrick.
financial difficulties. The plant with Diamond Ethanol LLC will
This is one of many projects
was then purchased at an auc- create revenue for the commu- that Kirkpatrick says he is worktion in April for $9.21 million by nity,” says Kirkpatrick.
ing on for the city. His departConestoga Energy Partners LLC
Diamond Ethanol LLC is ex- ment is constantly working to
from Kansas. Conestoga Energy pected to open within a couple bring in revenue, expand, and
Partners LLC owns two ethanol of weeks. Along with having the provide for their community.
plants in Kansas, Bonanza Bio- waste water contract with Level- Diamond Ethanol LLC hopes to
Energy LLC and Arkalon Energy land, it will provide jobs within be the first of the new projects
LLC.
the community.
that will help in this process.
The sale of the plant means
“I like creating jobs and
“The ethanol plant will be
that members of the local com- giving back to the community,” up and operational after Oct. 1,”
munity lost their investments, says Kirkpatrick, referring to Kirkpatrick says.
Ethanol plant reopens after
facing financial problems
Art Trail policy incites local controversy
5
News
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
No experience, lack of education result in youth unemployment gap
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
The Department of Labor
recently released new figures
indicating that, while the economy added 163,000 jobs in July,
unemployment edged up from
8.2 percent to 8.3 percent, with
young people being the hardest hit.
But the gover nment ’s
broader U-6 unemployment statistics shows a far more accurate
and grimmer truth. The DOL U-6
unemployment rate counts not
only people without work seeking full-time employment,
but also counts “marginally attached workers and
those working part-time
for economic reasons.”
In the U-3 data, a person
could be working as little
as an hours a week, or if
a person is working three
part-time jobs, all three
would be counted statistically as separate jobs.
The U-6 estimates
a more realistic picture
of those unemployed
in the United States – at
least 15 percent, with six
unemployed people for
each available job.
Young adults ages 16-24
saw their unemployment rate
drop slightly, from 16.5 percent
in June to 16.4 percent in July,
indicating that the total number
of youth jobs for the labor force
hasn’t changed significantly.
Rory O’Sullivan, policy di-
rector at Young Invincibles, a
national youth advocacy organization representing the interests
of 18 to 34 year-olds, said the
economy is missing 2.7 million
youth jobs that would have
existed had the recession never
occurred.
“Young Americans are in a
big hole, as youth unemployment remains very high,” said
O’Sullivan. “Across party lines,
the number one issue for young
Americans is creating jobs. We
need action from our leaders
at every level, or we risk leaving
this generation further behind.”
O’Sullivan said that there are
several factors that contribute to
the high youth unemployment
rate, especially in a precarious
economy.
“Over the last several decades, the economy has increasingly valued education and skill,”
explained O’Sullivan. “Young
people, by definition, have had
less time to acquire experience
and education, so they have a
tougher time competing in the
labor market. The second major
factor is seniority. Young workers
often haven’t worked as long for
an employer as everyone else,
so when lay-offs occur, younger
workers are typically the first
fired and last hired.”
The lack of jobs may have
some effects on college students
and their ability to continue their
studies and attain degrees, according to O’Sullivan.
“A m o n g
four-year
college students, nearly
half (46 percent) work
m o re t h a n
20 hours
per week,
up from 39
percent in
1986,” said
O ’S u l l i v a n .
“Given that
many of these
young people are putting themselves through
school, we would expect that
higher youth unemployment
would make it harder for some
to afford higher education.”
O’Sullivan said that many
young people who cannot find
work will often return to school,
assuming they can afford it. But
New campus officer finds
comfort in familiar territory
by ASHLEIGH WOLBRUECK
staff writer
in 2011, and was sponsored by
SPC.
“You have to be sponsored
by a department when you are
on the reserves and they hold
your commission for you,” Castillo said.
The idea of being able to
remain close to the familiar
friendly atmosphere he came
to know growing up in the area,
along with having attended SPC
for the city through the older
officers and is thankful to work
with them. However, Castillo
plans on remaining a campus
For Nikolis Castillo, his new
officer for a while.
job as a member of South Plains
“We are here for the stuCollege Campus Police Departdents
to allow them to get
ment is a chance to stay close
the
best
out of what they can,”
to home.
Castillo
says.
Not only is Castillo a recent
He really wants to serve, and
graduate of the Police Academy
he
said
that he enjoys the atmoat SPC, he was born and raised
sphere
of
a college campus.
in Levelland.
“In the city,
you are doing
more arresting
than anything,”
says Castillo.
While that is
providing a much
needed service
for the community, there are
less incidences of
that degree on a
college campus.
Being a campus
officer allows him
to be a man of the
law and serve, but
he gets to be a
friendlier face because he is here
for the students
and faculty.
Castillo act
i
v
e
ly patrols
Nikolis Castillo is the newest police officer on the Levelland campus.
campus to ensure
everything is runPhoto by ASHLEIGH WOLBRUECK/PLAINSMAN PRESS
ning smoothly
and people are
staying safe. He
helps direct traffi
c
during
peak
hours, and he
and
getting
to
know
the
faculty
“This is home for me,” says
makes
sure
that
there are no
and
students,
seemed
perfect.
Castillo.
break-ins
or
vandalism
to the
“I
would
like
to
stay
close
He graduated from Levelbuildings
that
would
hinder
because
my
family
is
here,
and
land High School in 2007. Originally, he had plans to join the it’s where I need to be right now,” classes on campus. He is even
available if somoene has a quick
Castillo says.
Navy after high school.
question about where a buildThe
opportunity
really
fit
“I was going to be a pilot for
ing is on campus that you can’t
what
Castillo
had
in
mind
when
the Navy, but got in a bad car
he
applied
for
the
job
that
he
seem
to find. It is definitely what
accident and now have metal in
started
in
March.
Not
only
is
he
Castillo
is enjoying doing at this
my legs,” says Castillo.
able
to
stay
close
to
his
roots,
but
moment
in his life.
This injury put him out for a
“My
favorite part about
as
the
only
young
rookie
offi
cer
while, and the military would not
working
as a campus officer
on
campus,
he
is
working
closely
accept him after the fact. Howhere
is
the
people,” Castillo says
with
older
officers,
some
of
ever, Castillo still wanted to
with
a
smile.
“Getting to know
whom
are
retired,
and
can
learn
serve, so he found another route
the
faculty
and
the students,
from
their
experiences.
in life. He went to SPC Police
it’s
a
great
atmosphere.
And as
Working
as
a
campus
offi
cer,
Academy where things started
a
rookie,
this
has
been
a
great
he
says
that
he
can
get
a
feel
for
to really click for him. He went on
place
to
learn.
”
what
it
would
be
like
to
work
to graduate from the academy
many may find it difficult to O’Sullivan, states that hope for
pursue an education without any change in the employment
a job to finance their higher situation in the near future may
be misplaced, and that young
education.
In the “State of Young people are the over-looked
America: Data Book,” a report casualties, with unemployment
generated by Young Invincibles rates skyrocketing.
Using information from the
and Demos , the two organizations commissioned a survey Bureau of Labor and Statistics,
of young adults
between the
ages of 18 and
34 to better
capture their
circumstances.
The poll was
conducted by
Lake Research
Partners and
Bellwether
Research and
Consulting to
study the decline in opportunity and security that has
t a k e n p l a ce
during the
past 30 years,
as the policies
that previously
provided the
foundation for
the existence
of an American
middle class
deteriorated.
The data is organized into
five key areas:
jobs and the Rory O’Sullivan, Young Invincibles
economy, college access
and attainment, health care, cost of living, study co-authors O’Sullivan and
Alistair Johnston tracked both
and raising a family.
The results indicated that the rise and fall of youth employthe risk of dropping out of ment rates and further identified
college is much greater for a jobs gap that continues to
students enrolled part-time exacerbate the problem.
“Even under optimistic asor if they work longer than 20
hours per week. Yet, as college sumptions, young Americans
costs rise and financial aid has will not make up the lost ground
shifted away from grant and until 2021,” says the report.
need-based aid and other aid, “And there is a real chance the
today’s students are much more youth labor market may never
likely to be working long hours recover.”
Generation Opportunity, an
and going to school part-time.
Today, 36 percent of all fed- organization founded by Paul T.
eral aid is grant-based, and that Conway, former chief of staff of
is down from the 55 percent in the U.S. Department of Labor
1980. During that time, the max- and former chief of staff of the
imum Pell grant covered 69 per- U.S. Office of Personnel Mancent of the costs of a four-year agement, issued the statement
public college, including room following the release of the July
and board. The average tuition 2012 unemployment figures
at four-year public colleges was that “Washington is proving
$7,600 in 2010, up from $2,100 itself to be coldly distant from
in 1980, and the tuition rates are the human costs of unemployment, the personal stresses and
steadily rising.
An additional study,“No End frustrations that come from the
in Sight? The Long-Term Youth uncertainty surrounding unemJobs Gap and What it Means ployment. Millennials deserve
for America,” co-authored by better from their government,
especially in light of what they
have already contributed to this
country.”
Generation Opportunity
conducted a poll in 2011 concerning how the economy is
affecting young people (1829) in America, and the results
indicated a downward trend
in the future of
this sector, with
77 percent of
this group delaying major
life changes or
purchases due
to economic
factors. According to the poll
results: 44 percent will delay
buying a home;
28 percent delay saving for
retirement; 27
percent delay
paying off student loans or
other debt; 27
percent delay
going back to
school/getting
m o re e d u c a tion or training; 26 percent
delay changing
jobs/cities; 23
percent delay
starting a family; and 18 percent delay getting married.
Surveys
and polls indicate that with more and more
students facing tremendous
college loan repayment, the
confidence that students once
held in the idea that a bachelor’s
degree would open the door to
their financial future is being
shattered.
“But all hope is not lost,”
said O’Sullivan. “We know that
investments in youth initiatives
like AmeriCorp can get young
people back to work and back
on track. We just need political
leaders with the will to enact
necessary solutions.”
Despite the dismal outlook,
the study proposes recommendations to bolster youth employment and make up for lost
time by funding projects such as
AmeriCorps, YouthBuild, TANF,
and similar programs.
“Given the looming consequences of the youth employment gap,” said O’Sullivan, “these
recommendations cannot be ignored. The challenge is solvable.
The most important thing is for
the economy to recover.”
6
October 1, 2012
Opinion
Plainsman Press
Student experiences adrenaline rush at thrill amusement park
by CAITLIN WELBORN
editorial assistant
Everyone loves amusement
parks, such as; Joyland, Six Flags,
and Disney World.
But people don’t often consider bungee jumping at Zero
Gravity thrill amusement park
to be so fun. When I went there
recently, I heard a lot of screaming. Not like the blood curdling
screaming like you hear in horror
films, but the kind of screaming
that one has in a moment of
panic or complete excitement.
Though those two types of
screams are very different, at
Zero Gravity, they begin to blend
together.
It seemed like such a good
idea to go there and try bungee
jumping. I already went skydiving, so how hard could bungee
jumping be? Well, it turned out
to be a lot scarier than I initially
thought.
Looking off the platform at
a blow-up “bed”, with just a cord
to keep me from plummeting
to my death, it’s scary stuff, I tell
you. My legs are shaking, and
I feel as though the technician
for this particular jump can hear
them rattling together. My fear
is almost embarrassing. I wanted
to do this. I’m a thrill seeker,
right? I was warring with myself
on the inside.
This is much, much different
than when I went skydiving. It
seems much harder. There is no
one there on this ride telling me
I have to jump, no one to push
me, just me and my determination to not wimp out. Lucky for
me, my pride is there to force me
off the platform. I scream as I go
out into thin air with nothing on
me but the bungee cord.
When I first got up on the
platform, and Theo, the bungee
technician, was suiting me up,
my heart was not the steady
beat of a drum like it was when
I jumped out of a plane. It was
thumping erratically, making me
panic even more. I kept thinking,
“Oh God”. As I stepped out on the
platform to jump off, I remember
saying that out loud. Theo’s response was “Yeah, God’s up here
with us,” smiling at me like it was
a clever pun. His words in that
moment comforted me a little, as
I made the realization that duh,
of course God is here with me,
and he isn’t going to let anything
bad happen to me.
Theo began to count down.
3…2…1... Go. I kept thinking his
counting seemed a little fast. I
wobbled as I was about to jump,
but then caught myself, fear
gripping me again. “I don’t have
to nose-dive or anything right?”
I asked Theo. “I can just do like
a pencil dive?” My voice was a
little high pitched, not at all how
I wanted to sound. I wanted to
sound brave. Yeah, that wasn’t
going to happen.
“Yes, you can pencil dive,”
Theo said with a gentle laugh
that I assume he did trying
not to offend me. He didn’t, of
course. So I took yet another
deep breath as he instructed,
and tried to steady myself by
closing my eyes. I heard his voice
start again, “3…2…1…Go!” I
jumped, still on wobbly legs,
but I jumped none the less.
There was no turning back now.
In seconds, I was hanging from
my waist, waiting for them to
lower me to the blow up “bed”,
breathing pretty hard. My heart
was still pounding, even though
I had already jumped.
As the bungee technician
finished lowering me to the
bed, he asked how I liked it. I
responded with, “It’s different,
that’s for sure,” my voice a little
breathy still. I was shaking, not
bad, just a small tremor running
through me with all the built-up
fear and leftover adrenaline from
the jump.
The manager of the park
came over to me with a small
smile playing on his lips, “Ready
for the next one?” He said. Next
one? Oh yeah, I paid for all five
rides: the Bungee, was the first I
had just finished.
Next was the Skycoaster,
which is almost exactly like
the swing from Six Flags, if
you’ve ever been there. Most
of the time, when you see it being done at Six
Flags, there are
three people
on the swing
with locked
arms. But for
me, when I did
it, it was just
me. My friends
couldn’t participate, but it
was still fun all
the same.
T h e y
strapped me
in and told me to hold on to a
bar on the platform, telling me
to lean on it, which led me to
be lying horizontally so they
could use the “crane” to lift me
up in the air. The instructor for
this ride and the manager told
me that when they counted
1…2…3…Go, I was to pull the
rip cord, punching out like I did
when I skydived. I nodded my
head and watched as the ground
began to move farther and farther away from me.
My breathing was once
again shallow, but I wasn’t as
scared as I was at the actual
bungee. I heard the instructor
yell at me from down below,
“1…2…3…GO!” Once I heard
that, I pulled the rip cord and
sailed toward the ground, another scream escaping me. But
after that, all that came was
laughter. I was smiling and enjoying the ride. This ride was the
easiest to do.
Then there is the Skyscraper,
which is like, the ride at the fair
called the hammer. Where you
have seats on both ends of the
ride and, they put you in the harness and your feet dangle.
It was fun, and again this
ride was easy as well. The
seats rotated around so
that when I reached the
top of this particular ride,
I would end up upside
down. It was very fun,
and though I am scared of
heights, I would definitely
do it again.
Then there is Blastoff,
which is really fun but
will take you by surprise.
I know that it certainly
took me by surprise. The
manager put me in the
harness, which was much
like the Skyscraper’s har-
ness, but he strapped my feet
to the ride so they wouldn’t flail
around. I didn’t want to do this
one alone so the manager vol-
unteered one of the employees
to go with me. But the manager
told me that “whatever you do,
don’t do what this guy does.” I
didn’t find that very comforting
to hear. But ok.
The Blastoff looks much like
a pebble in a slingshot. The seats
of the ride are in a circular shape,
and the cords that hold the ride
together are on either side. As
the circle lifted and the time
to “blastoff” was approaching,
I tried to brace myself, setting
my head back in the seat and
holding on for dear life.
Even though I braced myself
for it as much as I could, I still let
out a little scream when the ride
took off. We spun and flipped,
and bounced up in the air, then
back to the ground. After the
worry .” I nodded and leaned
back in the “hammock,” then he
lowered me down away from the
platform just a little bit. He asked
me twice if I wanted a countdown. I unfortunately didn’t hear
this; the blood pounding in my
head at the time was too loud. I
remember seeing his lips moving, but not hearing what was
said. So after not giving a yes or
no answer to the count down,
the technician just let me go. I
screamed more than once, in
fact, over and over again. It was
amazing, so much fun wrapped
up into five rides.
After all rides where completed and I had a chance to
catch my breath and calm down
a bit, I realized that even though
I was terrified, I had an absolutely
initial shock, I was smiling and having a few
frightened glances here
and there. But I wanted
to do it all over again
when it was done.
Finally, the last ride
that I did was called
the “Nothin’ but Net,”
or in other words, the
free fall. They strapped
me into my harness
that they compared
to a hammock, then
took me up 16 stories in
the air, on a suspended
platform. Once at the
top, they hooked me
up to the line, and told
me to gently lean back
like I would in a hammock. I said,
“I’ve never lied in a hammock.”
The technician said, “It’s fun,
trust me, and so is this ride, don’t
amazing time. It’s an experience
that I would never trade. In fact,
I would encourage people to go
to Zero Gravity, try it and see if
they like being a thrill seeker. It
is an experience like no other,
something I think everyone
would enjoy.
Don’t worry about being
scared of heights. It’s not so
bad, and you will have people
there with you helping you do
this. It’s their job. They do it
every day, and they wouldn’t let
anything bad happen. They are
very thorough.
This adventure would be a
baby step to becoming a thrill
seeker, or an adrenaline junky,
and you would definitely walk
away from this with a smile on
your face.
Memorials built for fallen victims offer hope
by ANNA DODSON
staff writer
When a disaster strikes,
whether it be natural or manmade, we build memorials.
We show signs of hope and
life in order to help us recover
from the wound the disaster
left. We honor those who have
fallen, and, in a way, promise
that we will forever remember
all that happened. The memorial
becomes an attraction. People
of all ages visit to show respect.
But these memorials may offer
more than pretty scenery and a
few moments of reflection.
I was recently at Ground
Zero in Manhattan, New York. I
was expecting a loud crowd and
to be rushed through the display
of the recently-opened memorial. I was greatly surprised with
what really happened.
Upon entering, there was a
great deal of security, which re-
minds you that
what you are
about to go in
to is, in a sense,
“Holy Ground.”
After I finished
going through
all of the extensive security, I
walked up this
long paved
path that had
artifacts from
what once
stood there.
Then I looked
up. When I
did this, I saw
this incredibly
tall building
known as the
“Freedom Tower.” It exceeded
more than 100
floors and was
still growing.
It was new and
shiny, which
reminded me
that we were offering hope.
I then walked through a
large gate and found myself beginning to tear up as I looked at
the new trees that reflected life
and the newly paved ground that
covered where the Twin Towers
had previously stood. The best
way I could describe my feelings
when looking at this is humility
and appreciation. My appreciation for life grew, and as I walked
around, I either found myself
staring down into the reflecting
pools or looking upward at the
new buildings that were being
constructed. I couldn’t speak. All
that could be done was to look
at all that was around and try to
take it all in.
The crowd’s reaction was
the same. No one spoke, and
nearly everyone cried. The most
dominant sound was the roar of
the water falling into the pools,
which was a constant reminder
of what had happened here.
Though no words were being
spoken, you could feel from ev-
eryone there that something
was changing within them.
I previously had visited
several memorials, including
the Vietnam and World War
II Memorial in Washington,
D.C., as well as the Oklahoma
City National Memorial for
the bombing that occurred
in 1995. The reaction from
everyone who had also visited
these seemed to be the same.
The true character of people
began to be exposed.
I was reminded through
this reaction that although everyone has a different story, we all photos by ANNA DODSON/PLAINSMAN PRESS
all hope for the same things.
should visit a memorial honor- their true character, experience
We can all come together
and show respect and honor ing the fallen at least once and ultimate humility, and change
for lives lost in disaster, and we allow that opportunity to expose them for the better.
can continually allow
their lives to
change us.
I also was
reminded
through
these experiences
that we are
emotional
people,
and we are
constantly
looking for
growth and
change.
Fr o m
all of this, I
have concluded that
everyone
7
Opinion
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Right to select candidates key to improving future
by KATI WALKER
staff writer
Four years ago, Barack
Obama became the first African-American president in the
history of the United States.
Voting records were broken
among young and minority
voters. The 2008 election shook
this country, Republicans and
Democrats, alike.
Now, four years later, the
United States is sitting $7 trillion
deeper in debt.
Of course, all Americans
want to do now is point fingers
at each other. It’s Obama’s fault,
along with the liberals. Or my
personal favorite, people are still
blaming George W. Bush.
However, this country was
built on freedom of choice,
whether it’s religion, speech or
political preference and most
importantly, the choice of who
will lead us.
Americans can sit around
and talk about everything that
is wrong in our country, such as
the economy. If this subject is
brought up around a group of
American citizens, the conversation combusts. Everyone likes to
get fired up and talk trash about
how our president hasn’t done
anything except dig a deeper
debt hole.
This is what makes me laugh,
though. Whenever a solution is
presented, it is almost immediately dismissed.
People want to talk about
cutting spending. However, the
programs that would be cut
would be programs that feed
hungry children, house the
homeless and keep the elderly
alive.
Also, people believe that
drug-testing individuals who
receive federal aid will help.
This isn’t a bad idea. The typical
stereotype of people on welfare
is that they are low-income,
minority adults, with one, or
more, children. This is the same
stereotype for people who use
drugs.
Florida, a state with 13.8
percent of people living below
the poverty line, the same percentage as the national average,
passed a bill that required drug
screening in order for applicants
to receive welfare. This ended
up actually costing taxpayers
$45,780.
If taxpayers insist on drugtesting recipients of welfare, they
should also insist on drug-testing college students who receive
federal grants and scholarships.
What if we start drug-testing our
Texas Tech Red Raider football
players? I think everyone who is
reading this column just threw
up.
How about we raise taxes to
pay for an $8 billion war in Iraq, a
country that didn’t even invade
us in
the first
place?
That is
our responsibility, isn’t it?
When I go to a store and
charge a pair of shoes to my
credit card, I don’t expect my
kids to have to pay for that one
day. But that is exactly what our
country’s leaders have done in
the past. Whose fault is this?
Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush
Senior or Reagan? The answer is
none of the above. The problem
is entirely our fault.
Who jumps for joy when a
politician hammers on about
cutting taxes and increasing
spending on old people? We do!
Who rushes to the polls as soon
as a speech is poignantly touching or history is being made? We
do. It’s our nature as Americans
to want to leave a legacy. But
is this really how we want to
be remembered, as wasteful,
egotistical and irresponsible?
In the upcoming election,
there are two front-runners as
in any presidential election:
Obama and Mitt Romney. In
2008, everyone talked about
who was the lesser of two evils.
But who would ever actually
vote for evil? It’s like saying if
Hitler and Satan were running
for president, I would totally vote
for Hitler, because he’s the lesser
of two evils.
My point is that if you don’t
like the way things are in your
country, change it. That is your
right as an American citizen.
Wouldn’t you do the same thing
in your personal life? Then, why
don’t we do it for our country
and for posterity?
If you don’t agree with
Obama or Romney in November when you enter that ballot
booth, write-in who you honestly wish to elect as your president. If it’s Ron Paul, awesome.
If it’s your dad, cool. I don’t care.
But it’s your right to make your
voice heard.
The argument I hear most
about this issue is that it’s a
“wasted vote.” But no American
vote is wasted. If you’re really
serious about raising awareness
in your community, yell it from
the rooftops.
Only we can dig ourselves
out of the hole this country is
in. Unless we’re ready to pay the
price, we will fail and you will
wish you had voted, or at least
tried to make a difference, when
the chance was there.
you purchase is based on your
personal preference, or on how
much you are willing to spend!
They can range anywhere from
a cheaper cotton version that
may wear out quickly, to an
expensive ponte knit, which is a
double knit fabric that is tightly
woven. Ponte knits tend to last
longer and are more durable,
but they can be a tad bit on the
pricey side.
To go on top of the leggings,
pair a loose soft cotton or cottonblend shirt that is either plain,
patterned, or features a unique
graphic. It is preferred that the
shirt you wear is longer, so it can
cover your bottom. But whatever
you feel the most comfortable in,
you should wear!
Another option for your
top is a tunic, because it is the
would be a cotton fabric, but
thin, linen blazers will also add
flare and remain comfortable.
Long cardigans will easily pull
the whole outfit together without being too over the top!
If you still don’t feel fully
put together, simply add a scarf!
Scarves are soft and keep you
warm on the cooler days, and
they can bring interesting pop
to the overall outfit. If most of
the outfit is neutral, go for a full,
bright-colored scarf, or one that
is patterned. Scarves can ultimately change a white Hanes tee
from plain to extravagant!
To complete the entire look,
throw on a pair of flat boots.
Depending on your personal
style, you may be interested in
combat boots or riding boots.
Remember to stick to neutrals
so that the focus of the outfit is
on top. This little trick will help
to brighten your face!
Another way to add
warmth and style is to wear
thick socks and let them peek
through the top of your boots.
You will be surprised at just
how much they make a difference!
To top off the look, throw
your hair into a high ponytail or top-knot bun! When
your hair is out of your face, you
concentrate better in class, and
you don’t have to worry about
it being in your face. When you
aren’t fidgeting with your hair or
pulling on your clothes, you are
actually comfortable, you can focus and improve on everything
you do!
The key to comfort is layers! That way, when it is cooler
outside, you can stay bundled
up. But when classrooms are
burning hot, you can peel off
layer by layer to ensure that
you stay comfortable. Although
you may put a little more effort
into this outfit than you would a
sweatshirt and yoga pants, your
outfit will indeed reflect that!
The way you present yourself is how others perceive you.
Despite the fact that you want
to look put together, you don’t
have to sacrifice your comfort!
Go to class in style and stay comfortable. That way you give your
undivided attention to every
subject and, ultimately, make
the grade!
Comfortable fashion possible for class
Fashion Forecast
by KATIE SOMMERMEYER
opinion editor
Staying comfy in class is
something we all strive for, but
looking stylish at the same time
can be difficult.
Many days, we wake up
and just want to throw on a
hoodie and sweats because
it is easy, fast, and, most
importantly, comfortable.
However, there are many
other comfortable options
that look stylish and put
together, without having
to put a lot of effort into
them!
The most basic go-to
item is a pair of plain black
leggings. This will create the
foundation to your outfit and
give you endless options for
layering! Black leggings are essential to any wardrobe you wish
to build upon, because they are
so versatile and can be utilized
in every season.
The quality of the leggings
perfect length for leggings, not
too short but not a full-on dress!
I would go for thinner versions,
that way you can add even more
volume to give the ensemble a
put-together, polished look.
On top of your t-shirt or
tunic, pair a cardigan or light
jacket. The most comfortable
Unhealthy habits, depression
causing obesity in America
by ANDREA LARIMORE
staff writer
It’s no wonder that America
is the most overweight country
in the world, due to various factors such as unhealthy eating
habits, a lack of exercise and
depression.
Americans tend to treat
food as immediate gratification.
We enjoy going to fast food
restaurants because it is quick,
easy, cheap, and tasty. It also
provides us with the chance to
Man on the Street
“super size” for a combo meal.
American manufacturers fill
their foods with a lot of salt,
sugar, preservatives, and a list
of other chemicals that none of
us can pronounce, in order to
keep us happy. Adding all these
things in with our food is often
replacing the nutrients and fiber
from the original source, making
it unhealthy. All the chemicals
and other ingredients found in
processed foods are new to the
body, and when the digestive
organs can’t process the food,
the body stores it in fat tissue.
Due to technology and
other factors, children and adults
have become lazy. Previous
generations found joy by playing
and being active outside. Today,
a large amount of money is spent
on gym memberships, workout
videos, and exercise equipment.
But the majority of people have
chosen to not take advantage of
it. While video game companies
have produced games to help
people lose weight, it’s not en-
couraging enough for them to
stop playing other video games
while sitting on the couch.
There are times in our lives
when we face ups and downs.
During these times, we tend to
gravitate toward food. People
often go for comfort foods,
instead of the healthy choices
such as fruits and vegetables, or
going for a walk.
Here’s some friendly advice.
For the guys out there, try exercising instead of eating your
weight in food, and for my fellow
XX chromosomes, when bad
news or break-ups happen, try
taking a jog around the block
instead of eating a pint of ice
cream and a chocolate bar.
Along with the likes of “The
Biggest Loser” and Chris Powel
from “Extreme Makeover: Weight
Loss Edition” lets join in getting
America away from being the
most overweight nation. Now
put this article down and start
changing your life by being
more active!
compiled by Randi Adams
How do you feel about all the controversy surrounding Chick-fil-a?
“Just another way for people
“Everyone should just live
to bring up gay marriage before and let live.”
the election.”
Stefan Anderson
Weston Stroope
Sophomore
Sophomore
Littlefield
Sanger
Design Communcations
Agriculture
Communications
“I’m pro Chick-fil-a, and I like
what they stand for. I like their
food too!.”
Marilyn Rodriguez
Purchasing
Levelland Campus
Sundown
“I don’t care what they do;
I just want their chicken.”
Krista Bridges
Freshman
Lubbock
Criminal Investigation
“They’re a good Christian
company. Normally, we don’t
know what CEOs believe, and I
don’t care what they believe.”
Haley Morgan
Sophomore
Lubbock
Nursing
“I love chicken.”
Tyson Jones
Freshman
Levelland
Nursing
8
Opinion
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Government chastises former Navy seal for writing book on Bin Laden raid
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
Every day, thousands of
American troops spend their
days and nights keeping this
country safe.
Many of them work quietly and methodically, and o�en
anonymously, as they track the
enemy, aid allies, and seek out
threats to the United States.
Most of these men and women
are oblivious to the manufactured drama generated by the
American poli�cal process.
But some who work covertly learn lessons the hard
way – if they offer true accounts
of a mission or opera�on, the
government will go to great
lengths to stop them. Apparently
the United States government is
more than willing to destroy the
reputa�ons of these highly honored and brave individuals.
In the past few weeks, the
American people have heard
inspiring stories of heroism and
valor from one of the U.S. soldiers
who par�cipated in the mission
that killed Osama bin Laden.
Former SEAL Matt Bissonne�e, a member of SEAL Team
Six, wrote a book �tled “No Easy
Day” under a pseudonym. But
thanks to Fox News, his true iden�ty was made public. The book,
by most official accounts, is devoid of any classified informa�on,
with most of what is in it having
been leaked by top officials of the
U.S. government.
But there is a steady stream
of cri�cism of this individual coming from the government aimed
at the book and its author. The
Department of Defense and top
administra�on officials have said
that Bissonnette’s decision to
publish such a book was irresponsible, going so far as to say they
would take steps to make it clear
to him and the American people
that this kind of behavior was
unacceptable.
But the actual message that
is bubbling to the surface as they
threaten this soldier is that they
do not want to accept an honest
account of the mission, nor do
they want the American people
to know what really happened.
Strangely, it was revealed
recently that the CIA and other
U.S. government agencies were
coopera�ng with Hollywood on
a movie about the same topic,
even allowing a writer to take a
“deep dive” inside the CIA as the
screenplay was wri�en about the
bin Laden raid.
The question is: Are the
government officials angry that
the soldier wrote the book, or
because his book preceded the
movie? Are they angry because
this soldier may reveal truths that
movie will alter or distort?
Why would the government
not want the real account of the
mission to be revealed? In truth,
authen�c accounts of what happens in war are not necessarily
a bad thing, as long as classified
informa�on is not jeopardized. In
fact, it can be highly inspira�onal,
leading many young Americans
to serve this country in their
careers.
However, I have to ask myself
why any American government
official would a�ack this patrio�c
man who has been awarded five
bronze stars. Why is this American hero being bullied?
The officials making these
threats should be asking themselves the same ques�on. Our
government has survived as long
as it has because there are those
prepared to hold it accountable
for its words and deeds. Sadly, we
all know how it works. Cross the
big boys and they will blacklist
you, and do everything possible
to discredit you. Bissonne�e has
this to look forward to…it has
already begun.
So, shame on the government for a�emp�ng to tear down
a brave
soldier.
A n d
shame
on the
government
for not
being
more
forthcoming
about
the mission.
Typic a l l y,
if they
want it
hushed
up and
are willing to
threaten a
soldier
over his
revelations,
then he
is proba b l y
telling the
truth.
I ,
for one,
i nte n d
to buy
his book. It might offer the only
inkling of truth the public gets
about the mission to kill Osama
bin Laden.
New standardized test affects struggling students
on many high school students,
and how it determined if they
graduated or not.
I personally never agreed
with tests and whether they
should be the deciding factor
on who graduates and who
doesn’t.
You can be the smartest student, have
the highest
GPA or IQ,
and be a
by TYLER JOHNSON
sports editor
No more TAKS test.
As much as this sounds
like a glorious day for teenagers, who were jumping up
and down when the news broke,
it’s not.
The TAKS (Texas Assessment
of Knowledge and Skills) test is
simply being replaced, yet again,
with an even harder test, as if
the TAKS wasn’t hard enough for
some students.
I find this questionable.
Then again, I find all tests that
decide your fate questionable.
Many of us are aware of the
TAKS test and what affect it had
straight A
student, but if
you are not the best
at taking tests, well, you
are in for a rough outing.
And for this reason I highly
disagree with the bright idea
to change the test to an even
higher difficulty.
Many students struggle
when it comes to test-taking
skill. It’s not everybody’s specialty. I, for one, can vouch for
that.
A student puts in 12 long
years of school. Who is to decide
what the determining factor is
in someone’s passing or failing? If a student goes to
class, does his or her
work, and passes
classes, then
why should
he
or
she
not
graduate? They
did ever ything
asked
of them.
So what if they
aren’t the best at
taking tests. They obvi-
ously did everything else right.
The test
should not determine
otherwise.
Instead,
the test is replaced, with a
harder and longer exam.
Sounds about
right?
Let’s make the test that
many students take and fail each
year harder. It makes a lot of
sense to me…not really.
The test replacing the TAKS,
the STAAR test (Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness),
is much more difficult than the
TAKS test, as it covers an even
bigger range of courses. It is now
like a final exam for
every class that
counts
to-
tion. And you must pass each
portion of the test.
So, more tests to take? As
if the TAKS wasn’t enough. All I
have left to say is, when will it be
enough?
W e
n e e d
to quit
judging
the students
over test
scores,
a n d
judge
t h e m
solely off
of performance
throughout the duration of the
school year, as well as performance on school work.
Then again, what do I know?
I’m just a student myself.
ward
y o u r
gradua-
Popular foodchain shows discrepancies in gay rights support
by RANDI ADAMS
staff writer
Chick-fil-A recently released
a statement that the company would cease donations to
groups that oppose same-sex
marriage, according to an internal document that has been
released to the press via The Civil
Rights Agenda.
An official company document titled “Chick-fil-A: Who We
Are.” was also sent to franchisees
and stakeholders that states
that, as a company, Chick-fil-A
will “treat every person with
honor, dignity and respect, regardless of their beliefs, race,
creed, sexual orientation and
gender” and that their “intent
is not to engage in political or
social debates.”
So I think we all remember
the Chick-fil-A controversy
that came to a head this
past summer, culminating
with boycotts and counter-boycotts. For those
who have forgotten, here’s
what happened: Chick-fil-A
has been making donations
to Christian organizations with
anti-gay agendas for years. In
the past, students at several
colleges and universities across
the nation have worked to ban
the restaurant chain from their
campuses.
Throughout the summer,
Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A president
and chief operations officer of
the fast-food chain (which was
founded by his father, S. Truett
Cathy), made
several public statements
supporting
what
he
believes to be “the biblical definition of the family unit.” Opinions
are one thing, but their corporate funding of hate groups,
understandably, caused an outcry from the public and threats
to boycott the chain, much like
when Oreo released ads supporting same-sex marriage that
drew criticism from the Christian
Right.
In response, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee initiated a Chick-fil-A Appreciation
Day on Aug. 1, and Chick-fil-A reported record-breaking sales on
that Wednesday, with an appear-
ance by former governor
of Alaska and Chick-fil-A
supporter Sarah Palin as
a result. And in response
to that, same-sex
protesters staged
a “kiss day” at Chickfil-A two days later.
Well, don’t rush
over to your nearest Chick-fil-A
restaurant just yet. Barely a day
after the statement was released,
Dan Cathy tweeted a photo from
the 2012 WinShape Ride for the
Family, a fundraiser for an organization that helps lobby against
marriage equality. So basically,
nothing has changed.
As of this writing, Mr. Cathy
has not officially stated that he
has changed his own mind on
the issue. Mr. Cathy can give
millions to hate groups pri-
vately, which is his right,
and we would probably
never know. Except that
he’s sending out
tweets showing
that Chick-fil-A is
raising money for
these organizations the VERY SAME
WEEK that the company appeared to be “turning over a new
leaf,” according to some news
outlets.
Is this all just for publicity?
Is the old saying about “bad
publicity being good publicity because at least people are
talking about you” true after all?
Americans do tend to have a
short attention span at times. Is
this just a play by the executives
at Chick-fil-A to get back in the
news headlines once again?
Feature
October 1, 2012
9
Plainsman Press
Lee dedicates career to reclaiming lives of child prostitutes
(Editor’s note: This story is
the fifth part of a multi-part
series examining human
trafficking, “Sold: Human
Trafficking,” that began in
Issue #1 and will continue
through Issue #6. Several
staff members took it upon
themselves to inteview, take
photographs and conduct
research. The results of
their combined efforts follow.)
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
Blazing the trail to revise
policy and insure positive
change, the founder of Children of the Night is saving girls
and boys who are victims of sex
trafficking.
The determined leader of
the agency, the only full-service
program in North America for
victims of human trafficking,
is Dr. Lois Lee, who has her
doctorate in sociology and is
an attorney.
Through her work as a
sociologist, Lee said that she
has advised and assisted the
U.S. government in creating
multiple organizations to
eliminate human trafficking.
Additionally, she said she
is involved in training law
enforcement to recognize
human trafficking victims and
divert them to shelters and
programs, rather than treating them as criminals. Lee said
she is also active in working
with government agencies to
develop tougher laws against
pimping and trafficking.
In 1979, determined to
make a difference, Lee left a
promising career as a social
policy expert and scholar, bent
on rescuing children from prostitution. It also was during that
year that she founded Children
of the Night, an organization
that has since saved the lives of
more than 10,000 children.
Lee explained that her first
experience with underage prostitutes was as a PhD student in
sociology at UCLA in the 1970’s.
She said that she conducted the
first U.S. study of the social world
of street prostitution. A chapter
in her doctoral dissertation,
“The Pimp and His Game,” is now
relied upon by vice officers, U.S.
and district attorneys, FBI agents
and social service professionals
as a guide for the treatment of
child prostitutes, for jury education and for the prosecution of
powerful, dangerous pimps.
Lee said she began as an
activist while doing research
on police reports. She said that
upon meeting two ACLU lawyers
who had recently won a case
against Alameda County in
California for prosecuting prostitutes and letting customers go
free, she returned to Los Angeles
and filed a lawsuit against the
LAPD for the same thing.
“Thirty years ago, when I
was doing research on police
reports by LAPD and the LA
County sheriff’s department, I
worked with lawyers who used
that data to sue police departments for not arresting an equal
number of customers,” Lee told
the Plainsman Press. “Most of
the prostitutes on the streets
averaged 19. I saw hundreds of
children hit the streets, and the
pimps would ravage them and
trap them into prostitution.”
It was during the 1970’s that
the Hillside Stranglers investiga-
tion was underway in California.
Lee said that she and the lawyers
were challenging court cases
involving the unequal enforcement of prostitution laws when
she met two women who were
testifying at the trials. She said
these women would eventually become victims of the serial
killers.
“A woman who was a heroin
addict, who had an answering
service, called me and told me
about this girl that went missing,” said Lee. “She had sent her
out to meet a customer, and the
girl didn’t call back. The man
wasn’t answering the phone and
at the last minute, the address
had changed. We knew there
was foul play.”
Lee says she notified law enforcement, but ran into attitudes
and obstacles in getting help.
“When I called the police
and asked them to go out, they
kept me on the phone, and then
at the police station trying to get
help for hours,” said Lee. “The
whole thing boiled down to the
fact that they would not send a
police car, because she was just
a whore. She wasn’t considered
human.”
The girl, Kimberly Martin,
17, became the Hillside Stranglers’ 11th victim. Her nude body
was found the next morning.
She had been tortured and
strangled.
Lee said the crime could
that owned the strip clubs, the
professional pornographers,
massage parlors, pimps, the
madams and call girls, organized crime figures and others,”
Lee says, “taught me about the
underworld of prostitution in
America.”
It was these people who
would also lead Lee one year
later to discovering the multitude of children working as
prostitutes.
“All of them were seeing
children in the business, and
they didn’t want children in the
business,” said Lee. “They called
upon me to do something about
it. I didn’t want to help children,
but I caved in and set up a program for them.”
Lee said this direction was
not one she ever intended on
because she had other plans
for her life.
“I was going on to teach
college and write a book on
prostitution,” said Lee. “That is
where I was going. I was going
to have a sports car and spend
my summers in Europe, and that
was it. But what happened was,
I ended up giving these kids my
card over the next three years
while I was getting my education.”
For the next three years,
Lee said that her two-bedroom
apartment became a kind of safe
house for the 250-plus kids who
passed through during those
have been prevented, and she
was so angry at the police for
failing to respond the night
before, So she met with Warren
Wilson, a KNBC-TV reporter who
she had called the night before
to help her search for the girl
after the police refused.
“I was so irate the next morning,” Lee explained, “I said on the
news that if you are involved in
the prostitution business and
you think you know who the Hillside Strangler is and you don’t
want to call the police…don’t
call them…call me.”
She said it opened a floodgate of communication.
Lee says that several of the
people from the underground
called her, and she ran with it to
try to track the killer and worked
closely with the media.
“When they caught him
(Angelo Buono), I coordinated
the prostitutes to testify against
him in court,” Lee said. “I also
worked with the D.A. and the
attorney general, and it was just
a bureaucratic nightmare.”
Ultimately, team killers Angelo Buono
and Kenneth Bianchi were
convicted.
Lee said
that she uncovered evidence that
prosecutors would
use to seal
Buono’s fate
in the courtroom.
L e e
said that the
people she
met in the
underground contacted her and
reported that they were seeing
children in the “business.”
“The people I had met in
the underground…the people
years. Her home phone became
the first sex trafficking hotline in
America.
“I was years ahead of my
time,” Lee says. “And in many
ways, I grew up with the young
people I set out to help.”
It was a short time later that
it was suggested that she open
an office or walk-in center, which
she says she did…right in the
heart of Hollywood.
Lee explained that it was
through the assistance of the
Playboy Foundation and Hugh
Hefner and Johnny Carson,
among others, that she was able
to assist and buy food for these
children and, finally, turn COTN
into the fullfledged shelter it is today.
Lee said
that the Playboy Foundation was very
instrumental
in the success
of her work.
“When
we needed a
personnel policy, Playboy Enterprises’ executives helped us
develop a policy,” Lee explained.
“When we needed legal assistance, Playboy lawyers were
available to help. When we
needed holiday cards to mail to
our donors and volunteers to
raise money, Playboy art directors in Chicago designed them.
When we needed security, Playboy was there to advise.”
well,” says Lee. “Once delivered
to the shelter, they are assigned
a semi-private bedroom and
issued a CD or DVD player.
They are also enrolled in school,
which is right on-site and fully
accredited. They are able to get
After finally acquiring the
residential facility that now
houses Children of the Night,
Lee says that she established a
full-service program because,
“America’s children victimized
by prostitution require intense
residential services.”
Children of the Night reaches out across the United States,
according to Lee. If they get
a call from a young prostitute
or trafficked victim, the intake
into the program begins on the
phone.
“We tell them what is expected of them,” said Lee. “All
the programs are mandatory.
They have to go to school. There
are no day passes. There is no
coming and going. They are
escorted to eye exams or to the
hair dresser.”
Lee said that they might call
from a truck stop, or they might
be in a motel with no clothes
and the pimp is coming back. A
child may call saying that she is
going to kill herself.
“How do you coordinate law
enforcement?” asks Lee. “How do
you get the child out of there?”
Lee said you make arrangements, and within 24-hours
of a call, they can go into the
program.
“We may send a cab to
pick them up if they are local to
bring them into shelter,” said Lee.
“Nationally, we may ask other
organizations to intercept the
children. I have law enforcement
contacts that will go out and
pick the child up and take a child
to the airport without booking
her. We will pay for the airfare to
haircuts and manicures at highend salons that volunteer their
services. They attend workshops,
where professionals drop in to
teach them photography, yoga,
meditation, acting, screenwriting, and dance. We help prepare
them for college.”
Additionally, Lee said they
get medical care, immunizations, eye and dental care and
psychological counseling.
Lee said COTN attempts
to provide these children with
everything that good middleclass parents provide for their
children.
Lee explained that most of
the girls who end up in prostitution and trafficking are girls
who were not cared for as young
children.
“She wasn’t watched when
she was 2, so why would she be
watched when she is 13?” asks
Lee. “She is on a park bench in an
area of town at a time of night…
unsupervised...and should not
be. The fact that a guy comes
by and asks her if she wants to
party…it isn’t a big deal.”
Lee says that these girls are
not virgins.
“These are kids who have
been readied for prostitution,”
explains Lee. “ Most children
who become prostitutes in
America are molested and sexually abused at the hands of their
first caregivers. They learn at
a very early age how to disassociate their feelings from their
bodies. They’ve had to learn to
manipulate, how to size up others… how to outsmart others
they do not respect.”
Lee says that the process creates a very specific challenge to social
workers and traditional
cognitive therapists.
“For most of these
children, life with a pimp
was better than life at
home,” says Lee. America’s children victimized
by prostitution require
intense residential services where they are
given an opportunity to
be a child - sometimes
for the first time in their
lives. Most of these girls have
been held in jails on “material
witness holds” until they testify
against a pimp or trafficker, and
then released and put back on
the streets with no where to go
and without any support.”
Lee says that providing a
stable home and loving environment, nurturing staff and
an education is only part of the
job. She explains that long-term
support is necessary, even for
those who have completed the
program. Many remain life-long
members of the COTN alumni.
She said services offered to
alumni include resume preparation, job placement, college
placement, assistance with ap-
bring the child in,
and pick the child
up at the airport.
Sometimes, we will
put them in an existing shelter for a
cooling out period
for a few days to see
if they are going to
stay.”
Lee said that
once the child
comes in, they are
really comforted by
the genuineness of
the staff and the smell of home
cooking.
“We try to meet all the needs
of the former child prostitutes,
and many of their desires as
plying for financial aid for college, financial assistance to purchase books or school supplies,
or help obtaining Supplemental
Social Security Benefits for the
totally disabled.
“I am not a judgmental
person,” says Lee. “All kids
make mistakes. These kids
are compulsive runaways, and
they stay with me because of
my attitude. It is part of what
makes the program work. I am
not a jailer. I don’t have a lot of
rules. If you want me to buy
school supplies, pay for college tuition, etc….I am there
for you. I give children the opportunity to self-correct.”
Lee says that COTN has
reached out across the Internet with its WOW program
– Without Walls – allowing
children to attend school and
obtain a GED online.
Children of the Night has
a 70 percent success rate, with
many of the former prostitutes
going on to college, according
to Lee. She said that some
have become lawyers, doctors,
executives and educators.
Lee said that she continues to battle for legislation and
funds to support victims, though
many state and federal lawmakers are putting forth bills for
federal funding to address the
needs of desperate American
children who are forced into
prostitution.
“The devil is in the details,”
Lee says. “The meager budgetary
allocations are dedicated mostly
to police officer and federal
agent salaries, patrol officers,
detectives, investigators, prosecutors, trial and investigation
expenses, and training for law
enforcement and social service
providers. Nothing is to provide
actual support for the children.”
Continuing to lead the field
in the treatment of child prostitutes, Lee said that social service
providers come from all over the
world to observe the work done
at Children of the Night home
— which has become a model
for similar programs in the United States and abroad. She said
that she has been sponsored by
other countries — Japan, Romania, Mexico, Canada — to assist
in developing such programs
and to teach law enforcement
organizations how to respond
and intervene in the lives of sex
trafficking victims while they
pursue efforts to prosecute the
vile criminals who prey on these
victims.
Lee has received countless
awards for her humanitarian
work, most notably the prestigious President’s Volunteer Action Award, presented to her by
President Ronald Reagan at the
White House in 1984. She also
received the 1994 National Caring Award, with her permanent
memorial portrait hanging in the
Frederick Douglass Museum and
Hall of Fame for Caring Americans in Washington, D.C.
She has been profiled on national television, including CBS’
“60 Minutes”, and her life and
work were depicted in the 1985
CBS TV movie “Children of the
Night.” She was also lauded by
rock musician/songwriter Richard Marx in his song “Children
of the Night,” which appeared
on his 1989 Repeat Offender
album and generated more than
$500,000 for the shelter home.
Lee said she would be going
to Rome in October to meet with
Sister Eugenia Bonetti, who has
rescued more than 6,000 young
women from prostitution and
trafficking. She said that given
Bonetti’s amazing success rate,
she would like to learn as much
from her as possible.
Children of the Night is open
to child prostitutes throughout
the United States, and their hotline is ready and able to rescue
these children 24-hours a day.
For more information on
Children of the Night, visit:
http://www.childrenofthenight.
org/.
10
Feature
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
World renowned photographer McCurry shares life experiences
by SIERRA TAYLOR
editorial assistant
When Steve McCurry first
picked up a camera, he had no
idea that he would change the
way people saw the world they
lived in.
McCurry, a renowned photojournalist and photographer
for National Geographic Magazine, presented a lecture on
Sept. 21 at the Allen Theatre
on the campus of Texas Tech
University in Lubbock, in conjunction with the Museum of
Texas Tech and the Helen Jones
Foundation, Inc.
Working in the international
division for a pharmaceutical
company in Philadelphia at the
Near the end of his second
year in India, McCurry came
upon this story happening in
Afghanistan that he felt needed
to be told. He met a group of
Afghans, who helped him cross
into areas of their home country
that were under rebel control.
He received a closer look in to
the civil war as it was unfolding.
When he crossed back into India,
he sent rolls of film back to his
friend in the United States. This
same friend developed his photos and shared them with newspapers and magazines across the
country. His photographs ended
up in major publications such as
National Geographic and TIME
magazines.
Suddenly, the photos that
he had accumulated and no one
really seemed interested in got
The April 2002 cover of National Geographic.
photo by LYNDA BRYANT WORK/PLAINSMAN PRESS
age of 19, McCurry was exposed
to people from many different
parts of the world. This opened
his eyes to the possibility of
travel, as well as meeting new
and interesting people.
A year later, he was traveling through Europe, working
odd jobs to pay his way as he
traveled the continent. He soon
fell in love with traveling and
knew that whatever he did with
his life, he would have to find a
profession that allowed him to
travel and see the world.
He returned to the United
States and soon began attending Penn State University. McCurry says that he originally
planned to get a degree in cinematography. But while studying filmmaking, he decided to
take a photography class.
“I fell in love,” said McCurry.
“It was more spontaneous, and
I knew it was my key to traveling.”
He tried working for his
college newspaper, but soon
realized that day-to-day news
photography was not really
what he wanted to do.
After graduating from Penn
State in 1974, he worked for two
years at a small newspaper in
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
But one day McCurry threw all
caution to the wind and bought
a one-way ticket to India. With
a bag of clothes and more than
100 rolls of Kodachrome film,
he went to explore and to freelance.
“My original plan for a sixweek trip quickly turned into
two years,” McCurry said. “I did
odd jobs, stayed at cheap hotels,
ate cheap meals just, so I could
buy a bus ticket to get me to my
next destination.”
his foot in the door at National
Geographic. The second assignment he received while working
for National Geographic led him
to the Pakistan border.
“Before I crossed the border
into Afghanistan,” McCurry said,
“I sent a telegram to my editor
and my family telling them I was
fine and would be out of contact
for a few weeks.”
While stories of a photographer being killed in Afghanistan
filled the newspapers back in
the United States. National Geographic and the State Department got together and decided
themselves that is was McCurry
who had been killed.
“Needless to say,” said McCurry, “[the telegram] never got
to them.”
The State Department contacted McCurry’s family on Dec.
31 of that year and said that he
was missing.
“They didn’t want to say I
was dead,” said McCurry, “But the
federal government doesn’t contact people on national holidays
unless they are pretty sure about
something.”
In December 1984, McCurry was in an Afghanistan
refugee camp when he first came
across the young girl who would
change his life.
“I instantly knew it was a
powerful face,” McCurry said.
“She had an extraordinary look
about her, and I had to find away
to photograph her.”
She was at a school, but
shied away from him and his
camera. When McCurry began
photographing the other girls
at her school, he tried to create
a situation where she would not
want to be left out, and would
want to have her own photo tak-
en. She soon gave in. The girl he
had been dying to photograph
all day barely set in front of his
camera lens for a minute and
then left directly afterward.
It was not until two months
later, when he returned home to
the United States, that he could
develop the film and finally see
how the photograph turned out.
It was amazing.
The photo appeared on
the front cover of National Geographic magazine in June 1985.
The photo was titled ‘Afghan Girl’
because no one knew her name.
The response to the photos was
astonishing, McCurry recalls.
People wanted to know who she
was, where she was from, and
how they could help her. It even
continued to get response years
after the magazine had ran and
became
“the most
recognized
photo” from
National
Geographic.
In re sponse to
the terrorist
attacks on
the World
Trade Center on Sept.
11, 2001,
McCurry
went back
to find the
girl with
piercing
green eyes
who had
become the
poster child
for Afghan
conflict.
Returning
back to the
same refugee camp
in 2002,
he only
brought the
photo of the
young girl.
They asked
more than
100 people
if they knew
h e r, a n d
eventually
found a man who claimed to
know her brother and was able
to contact them.
In January 2002, McCurry
came face to face with the woman who changed his life 17 years
Steve McCurry delivers a lecture on Sept. 21 at Texas Tech University’s Allen Theatre.
photo by LYNDA BRYANT WORK/PLAINSMAN PRESS
before. When she walked into the
room, McCurry recalls knowing
instantly that it was her.
Through the years, her face
had aged heavily with war and
anguish. Her green eyes had lost
the gleam the world had fell in
love with. Everyone could finally
put a name to the ‘Afghan Girl’,
Sharbat Gula, who has seen an
abundance of grief in her lifetime,
which many cannot even begin
to empathize with. She recalled
being photographed by McCurry,
but had never seen the photograph that made her famous.
Since the second meeting
between the girl and the photographer, McCurry has help set
up an organization, Imagine-Asia,
to provide education for not
only Gula’s children, but many
other refugee children as
well. McCurry has built her
a home and even provided
a television so she could see
the documentary which was
created about her.
Throughout McCurry’s career, he has been put in frightening, as well as life-threatening, situations, including
airplane crashes, bombings,
floods, and even terrorist
attacks. Yet he still manages
to take amazing photos and
remain in the field.
“I always wanted to see
monumental events first
hand,” said McCurry, “to be in
the midst of everything and
live it was my dream.”
McCurry says that photography is not just about
art to him, that it is more about
storytelling and shedding light
on the world we live it. He has
always wanted his photos to inform people, as well as help move
public opinion about worldly topics. Some believe he has accomplished just that working on issues
such as child labor, the Gulf War,
HIV outbreaks, the World Trade
Center attacks, countless wars,
cultural and religious festivals,
and many more topics.
The photographer has won
countless impressive medals,
including the prestigious Robert
Capa Gold Medals for his work
and still continues to travel the
world and document historic and
life-altering events, changing lives
while he does it.
11
Feature
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Bolkovac becomes activist for sex slaves after experience in Bosnia
While working in Bosnia,
Bolkovac spent her time interviewing over 100 women about
their experiences with human
trafficking. Conducting these
interviews in less than a year,
(Editor’s note: This story is
the sixth part of a multi-part
series examining human
trafficking, “Sold: Human
Trafficking,” that began in
Issue #1 and will continue
through Issue #6. Several
staff members took it upon
themselves to inteview, take
photographs and conduct
research. The results of
their combined efforts follow.)
by ERICA M. SMITH
staff writer
Kathy Bolkovac was hired
as a peacekeeper for post-war
Bosnia in the 1990s, but ended
up discovering that those who
were supposed to be keeping
the peace were actually disrupting it.
Bolkovac was hired by one
of the largest United States’ government contractors, DynCorp,
to be a part of a United Nations
International Police Task Force.
This task force had to recruit
from local law enforcement
groups because America doesn’t
have a national police force,
which Bolkovac says, “actually causes huge accountability
problems.”
Kathy Bolkovac
she learned that human trafficking was popular in the Bosnia
area during the 1990s because
there was a large population of
international troops and corporations with great amounts of
money who were looking for sex
workers. Many of the workers in
the trafficking in Bosnia actually
came from other countries, such
as Moldova, Ukraine Romania,
Serbia, and Kosovo. The women
being trafficked claimed to be
looking for “better economic
conditions,” says Bolkovac.
Bolkovac earned the trust
of the women she worked with
and began digging deeper into
human trafficking cases. While
working on a Ukrainian woman’s
case, Bolkovac discovers that
there is a large human trafficking ring that includes several
international officers. Involved in
this scandal were international
organizations, corporations, and
government
officials,
includi n g
Americans,
which
w e r e
n o t
only involved,
but also
facilitating
these
activities.
Und e r standing the
hypocrisy of
the situation, Bolkovac says,
“We are peacekeepers who
came to protect the innocent
but now they prey upon them
in the worst ways possible.”
Bolkovac started investigations
to uncover the horrors of the
situation and to hopefully stop
it. As the investigations progressed, Bolkovac was demoted,
and then fired from her job because the accused didn’t want
their reputations ruined. When
Bolkovac was fired, she filed a
law suit, and the verdict ruled
in her favor.
The Whistleblower Act of
1989 is a United States law
that protects those individuals
that report misconduct of an
Kirby brings Court TV
experiences to classroom
by CAITLIN WELBORN
editorial assistant
Margret Kirby says that she
is not even finished with her coffee by the time she arrives every
morning to teach students in the
Communication Department.
Kirby is an instructor with
many years of experience in her
field of expertise, broadcast news,
which she uses when teaching her
students every day.
Kirby has not always lived in
Lubbock. She is originally from
Northern Virginia, but she didn’t
stay there.
“I went from Northern Virginia, to New York, to eastern
New Mexico,” says Kirby. “My
husband and I both taught at Eastern New Mexico University.”
When Kirby and her husband
first moved west, Kirby says that
she was surprised to see that the
horizon met the road. It was very
different than northern Virginia.
She went to graduate school and
law school in North Carolina. But
ultimately, she became a college
professor.
Kirby is in her first semester
as an instructor of radio, television and film in the Communication Department. She teaches
announcing and Radio-TV News
courses with Billy Alonzo. Kirby
says that she enjoys teaching
television classes much more than
the rest, because she has a background in working in broadcast
journalism.
“I was a producer at Court
TV for a number of years, working on various shows there,”
Kirby said.
She says that with this experience, she can bring a lot to the
class. She has been teaching for
seven years, mostly broadcast
journalism classes. She has also
taught criminal justice and public
speaking courses.
What motivated Kirby to be-
Most of all, Kirby
says that she enjoys
spending time with her
family. She is very involved in her daughter’s
life, including helping
her with her volleyball.
While being a mother of one and working
at the college, she also
enjoys photography and
loves to write. She is currently working on a 10minute screenplay. Kirby
says that this 10-minute
screenplay was inspiration from two of her
students becoming runners-up in a contest. Had
they won, they could
have had their short film
produced.
“That was what
prompted me to t think ‘I
can do this’,” Kirby says.
“I have been working on
Margret Kirby teaches radio, television this 10-minute film for a
and film.
couple of years, and it’s
ALY RICHARDSON/PLAINSMAN
just not quite there yet.”
PRESS
Kirby says that she
has family members who
gin teaching broadcast journalism
live all over the place,
was when she had her daughter but that it’s not hard to keep in
and took a break from producing touch,
at Court TV, since the schedule
“Planes can take you anywas so hectic. She couldn’t find where,” she says. “They can visit,
daycare that she and her husband or we can visit, so you make it
liked. So after taking time off, she work.”
found a position where she and
She really appreciates that
her husband could both teach.
the Communication Department
“We thought that would be at SPC has such a “hands-on”
a pretty good way to go,” says program for mass communicaKirby.
tions students.
Aside from teaching at SPC,
“It’s very practical,” Kirby
Kirby is also a mother, which says,. “It’s not just in a book.”
keeps her busy as well. She is “The most students can make
a mother of an only child who of this program, the better off
is 11. But Kirby says that she they will be, because you don’t
doesn’t find it hard to juggle her get opportunities like this everyresponsibilities.
where.”
“Not yet,” Kirby adds. “I
Kirby says that she hopes
grade papers, and she does home- to stay at SPC ad teach students
work, and so I grade papers while more about the broadcast journalshe does homework. The real trick
ism field.
is getting her to her games.”
agency. The law is designed to
prevent retaliation from those
being reported that may affect
the individual who reported the
activities as long as they have
substantial evidence to prove
the misconduct that they report.
The Whistleblower Act is related
to the law suit involving Bolkovac and her employer, as well as
the namesake for the book and
movie which unraveled the reality of human trafficking.
Because the scandal was
brought to light, several of the
people thought to be involved
were asked to resign from their
positions. Bolkovac has never
backed down and has in fact
been promoting a book and a
movie made about her experiences with the United Nations in
Bosnia, as well as raising awareness to stop human slavery.
Through her experiences,
Bolkovac has become an expert on human trafficking and
government involvement. She
says that nations don’t cover
up these illegal operations, but
that “they create ineffective,
unenforceable laws and policies to make it look like they are
doing something when they
are not.” Although governments
cannot stop human trafficking
altogether, Bolkovac suggests
that governments should take
responsibility by “prioritizing
investigations, prosecuting and
convicting individuals who commit these crimes.”
Bolkovac is still making efforts to shine light on human
trafficking and the high-status
individuals and groups involved.
She says, “Governments and officials cannot keep looking the
other way and must start better
policing themselves and
their policies.” She went
on to explain her belief
that any corporation or
government that has employees who are a part
of trafficking activities
should be held “accountable for restitution to
victims and in assisting
law enforcement agencies to investigate rather
than continuing to cover
up their activities.”
The book and movie
made according to the
events involving Bolkovac
and the Bosnia scandal
are titled “Whistleblower”
and were both focused
on how she uncovered
the truth and impacted
the lives of the slaves in
the area. Bolkovac insists that
the most important thing in
fighting human trafficking is
providing “protections for victims…to enable them to come
forward as witnesses without
fear of reprisal.”
Doctor turned author makes lifelong
dream come true with new novel
by CAITLIN WELBORN
editorial assistant
William Coles was an ocular
trauma surgeon but he is also the
author of “The Surgeon’s Wife”.
After working many years as a
surgeon Coles decides to delve
into the world of fiction writing.
Coles was a surgeon for 40
years, but he says, about 15 years
ago, he left the medical field.
Coles says that he started to realize that medicine was changing,
so he decided to change careers.
But before he retired from
the medical field, Coles was not
only a surgeon, he was in academic medicine, and chairman of the
board, at a hospital. He says that
he was encouraged by his family
to pursue a career in medicine
when he was growing up.
“My motivation was from
my family,” explains Coles, “My
father encouraged me to go into
premed. I also wanted to make
an impact on people and make
them better.”
But in the end, he switched
from being a surgeon to being
an author.
“Two very different ca-
reers,” said Coles. But he made
the change none the less.
Toward the end of his medical career, Coles says that he
started to write poetry. But that
over time, poetry got old. Since
he decided that he no longer
wanted to be in the medical field,
he turned to writing.
“I did not always want to be
a writer,” Coles says. “I was very
happy with my medical career.
I’d done a lot of medical writing states her views on the subject of
before.”
gastric bypass surgery.
He says that he wanted to
“A life-threatening compliwrite fiction, because he had al- cation of a gastric bypass!” the
ways enjoyed reading and telling character Janet continues, “Makstories. So he set out to become a ing advertising claims that can’t
fiction writer.
be true.”
“I wanted to write books
Coles says that Janet’s charthat people would remember,” acter in this particular subject
Coles told the
has simiPlainsman
lar views
Press during
to his own
a recent interwhen this
view, “enterbook was
tain them and
written.
enlighten them
“Docabout the hutors didn’t
man condiexplain
tion,” where
the benhis medical
efits and
expertise came
the risks
in handy.
of the surAlthough
gery, and
Coles says
that many
that he misses
patients
surgery and
didn’t have
patient care,
a lot of
he adds, “I reweight loss
William H. Coles
ally enjoy the
and gained
lifestyle I have
much of it
as a writer that feels like I am back,” says Coles, who adds that
making a contribution that people his views about gastric bypass
enjoy.”
have changed since the book was
T h e s e t t i n g written in 2003.
for “The Surgeon’s
So with Mike’s hard decision
Wife” is in Loui- about what to do with Otherson,
siana. It’s also the he begins to fall in love with Cathplace that Coles has erine, Otherson’s younger wife.
“I made the age difference
not only taken vacations to, but he was between Clayton Otherson and
also there during his wife Catherine because it
Hurricane Katrina. would help explain why Mike and
He says that he pur- Catherine fell in love with each
posefully picked other, since they are of similar
Louisiana because age,” Coles explains.
With Mike and Catherine’s
he had been there
before.
love affair, Coles thickens the plot
In “The Sur- of adultery, deception, and lies.
geon’s Wife,” the
In the book, though, Coles
main characters, illustrates a close bond between
Mike Bourdreaux, Otherson and Mike, but he says,
Clayton Otherson, “That bond is a very common
and Otherson’s wife, bond in surgery. That being a
Catherine, are all mentor to Mike becomes very
connected together. important, creating a lifetime
Clayton Otherson is bond.”
the mentor of BourWhen asked if he shaped his
dreaux, who has be- characters around people he had
come impaired when it comes known in the medical field, Coles
to gastric bypass surgeries. So replied, “Yes, I shaped some
Mike is faced with the difficult characteristics around people who
decision, “what to do about Oth- work in the medical field.”
erson.” When an anesthesiologist
William Coles currently resends a report to the hospital sides in Salt Lake City Utah,
committee, Mike must make a with his wife who, works in
decision.
pediatrics.
When the committee finally
The book is available online
meets another doctor, Janet from at barnsandnobles.com for $14.03
Orthopedics had much to say in paperback, or on amazon.com
about Otherson’s condition. She for the same price.
12
Feature
October 1, 2012
Plainsman Press
Gypsy Pow-Wow brings diverse display to Lubbock area
by DEVIN HARGROVE
news editor
Bright lights, fast jive and
a plethora of cool people came
together for an excellent Second
Annual Gypsy Pow-Wow.
The still young festival was
held Sept. 14 and Sept.15 at
Buffalo Springs Lake, outside of
Lubbock, Texas.
The festival was host to
more than 30 different bands
spread out along three stages,
including the amphitheater, the
pavilion, and a separate stage
set-up near the lake.
Other activities offered during the festival included a beach
party, guided meditation, and
the hugely popular silent disco.
The brainchild of the Gypsy
Pow-Wow is Chris Hensley, who
has organized the festival for the
past two years.
“We started it last year,” says
Hensley. “It’s basically just an
idea I’ve had for awhile. I had
another business that I was in
when my partner who was my
father died from cancer. I just
felt like doing something a little
different than the normal corporate stuff I had been doing.”
The festival has gained
good momentum, with people
coming from all around Texas
and Oklahoma to attend.
“I think the crowd is really
good, and we had a really great
line-up,” Hensley said of the
festival’s success. “We definitely
had a diverse group of artist’s
up there.”
The festival started midafternoon Friday with relatively
few people. This would change
by evening as word spread of
the party and the campgrounds
slowly started to fill up. It was
also about this time that the first
of the standout bands began to
take stage.
The first of such bands
which garnered a good crowd
was The Flying Balalaika Brothers, who played in the pavilion
Friday evening. Hailing from
Austin, Texas, the Russian folk
band left a little of the Austin
weirdness as their strange and
out, and a lot of great music going on. The venue is
amazing, and one of the
coolest venues that I’ve
been to as far as festivals
go. Everything sounds
great as far as the stages
go, and I have nothing
but good things to say as
far as the way we’ve been
treated.”
The second day started much the same way as
Friday. This time, however,
the campgrounds were
full. By Saturday afternoon,
things were in full swing
and the festival was warming up for a stellar final
day.
Some of the standout bands of the day included Turbine Toolshed
from Amarillo, Texas, and
MONTU from Tulsa, Okla.
Both bands had excellent
performances, setting a
Dimitri’s Ascent plays during the Second Annual Gypsy Pow-Wow on Sept. 14 at Buffalo Springs
good vibe for the rest of
Lake.
the day.
RACHEL GILILLAND/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Saturday ’s per formances
all provided an
chaotic display enticed many of the audience during the course Festival in their hometown, also
excellent
lead
up
to the festival’s
the concert attendees into stick- of the show made for a brilliant had good things to say about the
main
headliner,
Keller
Williams,
ing around for the whole show. spectacle.
Lubbock event..
who
easily
stole
the
show
and
As the evening wound on,
“I love to see the good ener“I think it’s fantastic,” said
commanded
the
crowd.
His
a wide variety of DJ’s played on gy the lights bring to the show,” Coffman. “There’s a lot of talent
Stage Three by the lake, as well
as in the pavilion. It wasn’t until
the one of the festival headliners,
The Moai Broadcast, took stage
that the party really livened up,
preparing people for a full night
of hard partying.
The Moai Broadcast is hugely popular in Oklahoma, where
they hail from. Some fans even
went so far as to make the ninehour drive to the festival from
the band’s home town of Tulsa,
Okla.
“I love doing festivals like
this,” said Josh Coffman, lead
singer of the band. “It’s pretty
cool playing a place like this and
meeting all the bands.”
Part of what made their
show so spectacular was the
devoted fans who made the
trip to see them. Among them
was the Gobelle family, whose
pitching of 1,000 glow sticks into
said Gregg Gobelle, who, with
his wife, Amanda, was spending their 10th anniversary at the
festival. “It’s nice to throw them
out and then see the light spread
throughout the camp grounds
as people pick them up.”
After seeing The Moai
Broadcast on stage, it was easy
to see why they had such dedicated fans. The sheer energy
brought to the stage by the band
was enough to get the crowd
going. But what really brought
it around was the rock star performance by their lead singer.
Coffman’s presence and command of his stage left an energetic vibe throughout the crowd
which would carry on through
the night as multiple DJ’s took
the stage and mixed popular
music for the rave crowd.
The guys of Moai Broadcast,
who organize Easter Island Music
Celebrity appeal helps spread
Scientology across nation
by RANDI ADAMS
staff writer
The recent divorce of Tom
Cruise and Katie Holmes has
thrust the Church of Scientology
back into the news again.
Scientology has become
so familiar in the United States
that many view the religion as
a common element
often associated with
fame, such as appearing on the cover of
Time magazine or receiving a star on the
Hollywood Walk of
Fame.
It isn’t just Tom
and K atie. Ac tors
Kirstie Alley, Jenna
Elfman, Juliette Lewis,
Jason Lee, Giovanni
Ribisi, John Travolta
and his wife, Kelly
Preston, and even Elvis Presley’s widow,
Priscilla Presley, are
also members.
They even have
their own celebrity
center in Hollywood.
L. Ron Hubbard,
the founder of the
religion based on a
science fiction novel
that he first published
in 1950, launched a
campaign to get the
rich and famous to
join the church began back in
1955. Hubbard called it Project
Celebrity, and listed 63 famous
people that included Ernest
Hemingway, Danny Kaye, Orson
Welles, Liberace, Bing Crosby,
Pablo Picasso and Walt Disney
that he had hoped to recruit as
members.
The Church of Scientology is
now run by David Miscavige, 52,
who assumed the role of head
of the Church of Scientology
and Chairman of the Board of
the Religious Technology Center
after Hubbard’s death in 1986.
He also served as best man in
Cruise’s wedding to Holmes.
Scientology has also garnered a rather negative reputation due to claims in recent years
by former members and family
members, or as the church calls
them “suppressive persons,” of
the church’s abuses and behavior. The church has been
accused of fraud in the past and
is currently being investigated
for human trafficking by the FBI,
according to media sources.
In Texas, Scientology has
made its way into major cities such as Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Harlingen.
The church also plans
to open a mission, or
smaller church, in Arlington according to
Linda Leal, public executive for the Church
of Scientology in Dallas,
Texas, which opened in
1965. Leal adds that the
church would also like
to expand to Oklahoma
and Texarkana, Texas.
When it comes
to approaching Texas
residents about Scientology, Leal said, “You
could say it’s difficult.
Not many have heard
about it. Here, people
have their own beliefs,
but they don’t have an
idea (of what Scientology is). It’s not a conversion, it’s an enhancement of your current
faith.”
According to Leal,
there are 30 to 40 people in Lubbock who correspond regularly
with the church in Dallas by participating in extension courses,
and travelling to the city twice a
year for auditing.
relaxed and upbeat music provided a fun and fitting ending
to the festival, inspiring good
vibrations as people partied well
into Sunday morning.
As with all new festivals, the
Gypsy Pow-Wow wasn’t without
its share of problems. However,
the problems encountered this
year arose more from the success of the festival than complications mid-stride.
“I think, for next year especially, I’m going to guess that we
need more help,” says Hensley.
“It’s getting to be a little bigger
than I’m able to handle myself,
so we’ll try to increase staff next
year.”
The success of the PowWow can only increase the
future as word spreads and new
talent performs.
“I’ll probably try to keep
running it myself for five years,”
says Hensley on the future of the
Pow-Wow. “Hopefully, we can
build it up to something that one
of the bigger promotions companies might take interest in.”
For more information about
the festival, or for links and
information on the bands that
played, visit www.gypsypowwow.com.
Student finds friendship,
gains experience at SPC
by VICTORIA LANDERS
feature editor
“If there is one thing I’ve
learned from my college experience, besides my education, it’s
networking,” says Word. “Everyone wants to be where you’ve
been or where you are.”
Not only has he made friends
with other students, he has developed strong relationships
with his professors as well.
“Mark Wallney, my guitar
and rock ensemble instructor,
has been an inspiration to me,”
says Word. “He has so much
claimers in Thursday Nite Live,
a student ensemble which performs live once a month at Tom
T. Hall,” says Word.
Word can be seen playing at several different places.
He occasionally plays for Café
Wednesday, a series of free
performances hosted by the
Student Activities Office during
lunch in the Sundown Room on
Wednesdays, a number of places
in Lubbock, or even at Tom T. Hall
for Thursday Nite Live.
For most college students,
summer is a time for vacation
and relaxation.
But for one South Plains
College student, he spends his
summers building up his reputation as a musician, performing at
places such as Good Brews and
The Funky Door in Lubbock.
“It’s an oppor tunity to
play my own songs for people,”
explains Brandon
Word.
Starting during
his freshman year
at Abernathy High
School, Word began
his journey of being
a voice major in the
commercial music
program at SPC.
“I played guitar,
French horn, and
pursued singing
during high school,”
says Word. “I’m into
acoustic music, the
lovey dovey kind of
stuff.”
The music Word
listens to contradicts
what he plays. His favorite bands include:
The Used, AFI, and A
Day to Remember,
which are all alternative rock bands.
Originally from
a family of two full
siblings, two step
siblings, and one
half-sibling, Word
took after his sister,
who became a band
teacher in Floydada.
Being a voice
major, Word has sung
and played guitar in
nine ensembles in
the commercial music program.
When he’s not Brandon Word is a member of South Plains College’s Thursday Nite
participating in the Live ensemble.
ensembles, Word JAYME WHEELER/PLAINSMAN PRESS
goes to watch some
of his professors play
in the faculty mixers at the Tom faith in me; he teaches me what
“About 95 percent of the
T. Hall Recording and Produc- I’ll need, instead of just the cur- music I play is original,” says
tion Studio, as well as at other riculum.”
Word. “I have written over 150
venues.
Another instructor who of my own songs.”
“Most of my professors play Word says is actively pushing
Word plans to graduate this
music for a living,” says Word. him is Wade McNut, who he has semester and move to New York
“They just teach on the side.”
received performance lessons to start his career in the right
Besides being a full-time from.
direction.
student, he enjoys going to con“Wade was the one who
To hear Word sing and play
certs, performing magic tricks, approached me and asked if I guitar, the first Thursday Nite
and most importantly, hanging wanted to play guitar and cover Live show will be at 7:30 p.m. on
out with friends.
the song “500 Miles” by The Pro- Oct. 4 at Tom T. Hall.
13
Feature
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Former drug dealer seeks to improve community through education
a
by DEVIN HARGROVE
news editor
He’s been a hustler all his
life, from the streets of South
Central Los Angeles to the cells
of America’s prisons.
“I always had the drive and
determination,” says Rick Ross.
“Because when I look back at
my life, I’ve been hustling all
my life.”
Ross’s story begins with
very little difference from the average poverty stricken teenager
growing up in South Central Los
Angeles. But through chance
encounters and street smarts,
that all changed.
“I did stuff like cut yards,
collect cans, have car washes,
and I’ve always been a leader of
people,” Ross told the Plainsman
Press in a recent interview. “Even
when I was 7 or 8 years old, my
mom used to say that I was the
head leader of my brother and
cousins. So I’ve always had the
skills in me but I’d never been
able to exercise them.”
This would all change when
Ross became older, after he got
introduced to cocaine sales
through a close friend.
“A lot of people, when they
teach you about drugs in school,
they have this theory that it’s
some big monster that comes
and turns you onto drugs
and your mind gets fried,”
says Ross. “And when they
teach that theory and people don’t see that theory,
people start to question
that whole message.”
Ross got in the game
early, when Hollywood was
bustling and the cocaine
was flowing in full force.
“I was young, and when
I started selling drugs there
was nobody involved in
cocaine that was in poverty,” Ross says. “Cocaine
was a Hollywood high, and
when I started selling drugs,
cocaine was about $320 a
gram. It wasn’t for the average person.”
Where Ross’s story really becomes interesting and
diverges from the average South
Central crack dealer is who his
connection for cocaine was.
“One of my teachers introduced me to Oscar Blandon
from Nicaragua,” Ross says of
his introduction to the man who
would change his life. “They had
prices and cocaine that was
superb. Me and them together
had the best prices of cocaine
in the country.”
Prices so low that Ross was
able to sell a kilo of cocaine for
around $10,000 less than the
national average.
“I sold cocaine for about
e i g h t ye a r s,
selling about
$1 million a
day my last two
ye a r s, s o m e
d ays a l m o s t
t h r e e ,” R o s s
says. “I didn’t
buy fancy cars,
I didn’t showboat and I tried
to stay under
the radar. If you
didn’t buy from
me, then there
was no need
for you to know
what I did.”
It wasn’t until after his arrest
and the publishing of an article
in the San Jose Mercury News
in 1996, titled “Dark Alliance,”
by investigative journalist Gary
Webb that the full extent of the
operation came to light. It was
revealed through this expose
that while the CIA wasn’t directly
involved in drug smuggling,
they were willing to overlook
the trafficking in order not to
disrupt the financial backing
of the Contras in Nicaragua.
This was a connection that Ross
knew nothing about until he
was already sitting in a prison.
“I didn’t even know what
a Nicaraguan was,” says Ross. “I
didn’t find out about the government link until Gary published
his article in the San Jose news.”
After the story of Ross broke
and at the height of his fame
for dealing drugs, many papers
jumped on the bandwagon to
get the story out. The most well
known of these was an article
in the Los Angeles Times which
gave Ross the moniker ‘The WalMart of Cocaine.’
“I did the article because my
intentions was to take my past
experience and use them to
better the community,” Ross
explains. “I knew that any type
of press would substantiate
my claim, and that bad press
is sometimes good press, so I
accepted it.”
One of the troubling
things about Ross’s story is
the lack of public knowledge
of the case, in spite of the media attention it received in the
latter part of the 1990’s.
“This is one story that
the American government
doesn’t want to live up to,”
says Ross. “That they could be
the cause of so many young
black men being in prison
and so many communities
being in chaos the way they
are today.”
A major problem Ross
has found after being released
from prison for good behavior in
2009 is that a certain rapper had
taken his name and image.
“The media would rather
portray a rapper who’s claiming
he was a drug dealer but was
really a corrections officer,” says
Ross. “It’s ironic to me that I can
go to schools and want to talk to
kids, and they won’t allow me in.
But they’ll let a guy in who raps
about how glorious it is to sell
drugs, but the guy who’s done
it is a bad guy.”
Popular culture has a large
influence on public perception,
and the influence created by
some rappers is a largely negative one, according to Ross.
“I just moved to Long Beach,
Calif., and here they make me
register as a drug offender,”
Ross says. “But there are guys
out there running around and
they perform on “Monday Night
Football” in front of the whole
country, and they brag about
how wonderful selling drugs is,
not even in the past tense.”
One of the biggest problems today, Ross points out, is
the surplus of non-violent drug
offenders being locked up in
American prisons.
“I would say it’s about 65 to
70 percent non-violent drug offenders,” Ross says of the people
he was locked up with. “Most
drug dealers are non-violent;
they’re just entrepreneurs.”
The problems that lead
most ghetto youth to the point
of selling drugs begin early on.
Most of this influence stems
from community surroundings.
“When you are growing up
in the ghetto, the first businessman you see, and especially
black businessmen, is the drug
dealer,” says Ross. “So if you’re
wanting to be successful and
you’re copying someone who
looks like you, then that person
is more than likely going to be
a drug dealer.”
The community problems, according to Ross, stem
from the current povertystricken position that the bulk
of the black community finds
themselves in at the present
time.
“Blacks are really poor
right now,” explains Ross.
“They put a few in front of us
like the Michael Jordans and
the Oprah Winfreys that make
you think we’re doing good. But when
you’re out here in
the ghetto like I
am now, you realize things are bad.
The average black
woman only has
about $5 of savings
to her name. So if
you have a great
business idea, you
can’t just go to the
bank and say I need
money. The only
people left to turn
to for that kind of
money is the drug
dealers.”
The solution to the problems isn’t easy, and it isn’t
something that the vast majority of people are going to
jump on. But it’s something
that needs to be done, Ross
says.
“You know these are the
guys that can really help this
country, these are the guys
that know how to take nothing and make something out
of it,” says Ross. “And they are
throwing them in prison for
simply being entrepreneurs.
These guys didn’t go out and
turn coca leaves into cocaine;
these guys didn’t go to Columbia
and bring the cocaine to America. It was already here, and they
got their hands on it and tried to
sell it. That doesn’t make them
bad people; they just chose the
wrong side of it.”
One of the most heinous
aspects of the drug trade comes
in the public view and criminal
treatment of drug dealers, according to Ross.
“They treat us as if we’re a
child molester,” Ross says. “We
“Take me for instance. When
I was coming up, if someone
would have explained to me
that this book will tell me how to
generate money, which I needed
desperately, I would have read
those books.”
The problems associated
with poverty aren’t as noticeable to those who have money
and aren’t locked in survival,
says Ross.
“When you have money, it’s
OK to not care about it,” explains
get more time than a murderer for selling drugs, and
then the more successful
you are at selling drugs, the
more they punish you. It’s
the only thing they punish
you for being successful
in.”
Ross has ambitions to
turn things around in the
community by taking his
experiences and passing
them on so that others
don’t fall into the same pit
of poverty or prison. Part of
how he does this is through
a literacy program called the
Freeway Literacy Foundation.
“The first thing we need to
do is give people books that will
really help them,” Ross explains.
Ross of the desperation of poverty. “When you’re broke and
your lights and gas get cut off
and you’ve been evicted, money
takes on a whole new meaning.
See, now having money is not
just about having luxury things,
but also about survival. When I
found out that reading was how I
was going to survive, I found out
how to read.”
Ross is an example of how
literacy can change the game
and bring a person to a better
point in life. But he also warns
that the educational environment in America is not conducive to producing proper citizens
in poorer communities.
“Right now, the environment is no longer about being
smart,” says Ross. “It’s become
cool to be dumb. You’ve got
rappers with college degrees
that act like they’re high school
dropouts.”
A bigger problem than this
though, is the lack of jobs present when a person graduates,
he explains.
“You’ve got guys out here
with college degrees that can’t
find jobs,” says Ross. “And then
you’ve got some 16 year old
who’s making $500 a day selling
dope. Then you have guys like
Jay-Z saying take that dope
money and start a record
label, and you can be sitting
in the White House with the
president.”
The problems that exist
within the black community
have been present for the
past 100 years and will not get
better until better is shown to
them, according to Ross.
“You have to do something for the decedents
of slaves,” Ross explains of
the current situation. “Even
though that was 100 years
ago, 100 years isn’t that long.
And Jim Crow only ended
about 34 years ago, so the
things that were engrained in
our people are still there. The
same psychological injuries
that were inflicted on our
ancestors still affect us today
I believe.”
In order to get the information out and the facts of his
life to the people who need to
know, Ross is producing a documentary, which will be released
later this year.
“It’s going to be a real shocker,” says Ross of the documentary. “One of the things is that I
sit down with the guy who wrote
the crack laws, and he explained
to me how racist it was and
how he’s locked up more black
men than anybody alive, and
he apologizes to black America
while sitting on the couch talking to me.”
To find out more information about Ross, visit www.
freewayricky.com, or talk to him
on twitter at @FreewayRicky.
For more information about the
Freeway Literacy Foundation,
visit www.freewayliteracy.org.
14
October 1, 2012
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
Quindlen recollects life lessons in new book
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
Anna Quindlen has already
had plenty of candles and birthday cake.
In her book, “Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake,” Quindlen,
author and journalist, presents
her memoirs in an amusing set
of essays about being a woman,
past, present, and to some
extent, future. It is about what
she has learned in her life, and
what she has made peace with
through the years.
She is assessing
what it means to
age in this collection, all the while
thinking back to
the phases of her
life.
She covers
all sorts of topics
that could relate
to women of all
ages. From “late
in life” motherhood, to caring
for ill and/or aging parents, to her
relationships with
her girlfriends,
she shares her
thoughts on life
and what it means
to be a woman
on the brink of
60 in today’s society. She even hits
some harder hitting topics, such
as her decision to
stop drinking, and
when her and her
husband recently
left the Catholic
church.
Her mother
died in her early 40s, when
Quindlen was 19 years old, a loss
that made her grateful for each
year she gets that her mother
did not. Her writing is full of gratitude at how fortunate she has
been, and how she has reached
an age when she can look back
and recognize the combination
of ambition and serendipity that
allowed her to “have it all” in
terms of marriage, motherhood,
career, and friendship.
The essence of the book
can be defined in a needlepoint sampler that Quindlen
has which says, ”Work like you
don’t need the money. Love like
you’ve never been hurt. Dance
like no one’s looking.” She referred to this as her mantra.
Quindlen uses her humor
and honesty to discuss what it
feels like to be a woman ‘of a
certain age,’ raising children, the
death of her mother at a young
age, feminism and even her
evolving feelings about Catholicism. She openly presents her
feelings about all of the ‘stuff’
she has accumulated and her
growing desire to scale back on
her material possessions.
The book will bring many
chuckles as the author describes
growing older and what she sees
when she looks in the mirror
these days, pointing out that
“Isn’t it funny that no matter how
old we get, we still have the ability to look in the mirror and see
that younger person we used to
be looking back at us? The eyes
never change!” Or when she
refers to having dimples, and
how those dimples that used
to be “tiny divots are now deep
furrows that stretch almost from
cheek to chin.”
She writes that, “I’ve finally
recognized my body for what it
is: a personality-delivery system,
designed expressly to carry my
character from place to place,
now and in the years to come.
It’s like a car, and while I like a red
convertible or even a Bentley as
well as the next person, what I
really need are four tires and an
engine.”
Quindlen says that life is
so filled with ‘stuff,’ that it often
becomes harder to manage her
thoughts and projects as she
grows older. She points out that,
“Here’s what it comes down to,
really: there is now so much stuff
in my head, so many years, so
many memories, that it’s taken
the place of primacy away from
the things in the bedrooms,
on the porch. My doctor says
that, contrary to
conventional wisdom, she doesn’t
believe our memories flag because
of a drop in estrogen, but because
of how crowded
it is in the drawers of our minds.
Between the stuff
at work and the
stuff at home, the
appointments
and the news and
the gossip and
the rest, the past
and the present
and the plans for
the future, the filing cabinets in
our heads are not
only full, they’re
overflowing.”
Quindlen
calls upon her
experiences as
a working mom,
and as one of the
first women to
benefit from the
women’s movement. She writes
about parenting,
and what has
changed. She describes her
children, each one beautiful,
each one so different, and how
she wasn’t even sure she ever
wanted to have kids.
On parenting she says, “Being a parent is not transactional.
We do not get what we give. It is
the ultimate pay-it-forward endeavor: We are good parents not
so they will be loving enough to
stay with us, but so they will be
strong enough to leave us.”
Quindlen describes her
friendships through the years
and writes about how important it is.
“Ask any woman how she
makes it through the day, and
she may mention her calendar,
her to-do lists, her babysitter. But
Theatre program set to bring
murder mystery to stage
by SIERRA TAYLOR
editorial assistant
A murder is being brought
to the stage at South Plains College, and it’s expected to be an
enjoyable time.
Daniel Nazworth, assistant
professor of theatre arts and
play director, is starting his fifth
year at SPC off with a step in
the right direction with “Out of
Sight, Out of Murder,” a comical
murder mystery written by Fred
Carmichael.
Performances
will begin at 7:30
p.m. on Oct. 18, Oct.
19, and Oct. 20, with
a matinee on Oct. 21 beginning at 2:30 p.m.
in the Helen DeVitt
Jones Theatre for
the Preforming Art
on the Levelland
campus.
“It is fun for
everyone,” said
Nazworth. “It’s
a farce about
almost every
murder mystery
type.”
But only two familiar faces
will be on the stage this semester, as eight out of 10 cast
members are new to SPC and
the theatre program. Students
participating in the show include: Jerrod Jesko, playing the
part of Peter; Zach Haynie, playing the part of Cogburn, Colby
Crisp, playing the part of Dick;
Jake Quintanilla, playing the part
of Jordan; and, Lecil Flynn, playing the part of Minna.
Also, Laura Morrison is playing the part of Lydia, Regan
Harrell is playing the part of Kay,
Jaslyn Diaz is playing the part
of Fiona, and Aurora Carrillo is
playing the part of Addie.
Even though they are adjusting nicely and the progression in
the play is where it whould be,
according to Nazworth, some of
the newcomers
still have to get
use to the different
directing styles. He
says that the pace
and demands are
something they have
not seen before, and
the cast is also having to put more work
into their styles of
acting.
“Most high
school theatre
teachers treat them
like mar ionettes,”
said Nazworth.
“ They aren’t
use to the type
of freedom
on stage they
have here.”
The production is still in
the early stages,
Nazworth adds, but
they will be starting
to put the set together in the
upcoming weeks.
if you push her on how she really
makes it through her day, she
will mention her girlfriends.”
Quindlen says that the thing
your beach rental. They look
at you and don’t really think
you look older because they’ve
grown old along with you, and,
about old friends is “not that
they love you, but that they
know you. They remember that
disastrous New Year’s Eve when
you mixed White Russians and
champagne, and the uncomfortable couch in your first apartment, and the smoky stove in
like the faded paint in a beloved
room, they’re used to the look.
And then one of them is gone,
and you’ve lost a chunk of yourself. The stories of the terrorist
attacks of 2001, the tsunami,
the Japanese earthquake always
used numbers, the deaths of
thousands a measure of how
great the disaster. Catastrophe
is numerical. Loss is singular, one
beloved at a time.”
From childhood memories
to the craziness of motherhood
to middle age, Quindlen uses
personal events to illuminate
the life of the reader Along
with the downsides of age,
she says, can come wisdom, a
perspective on life that makes
it satisfying and even joyful.
Candid, funny, moving,
“Lots of Candles, Plenty of
Cake” is filled with the sharp
insights and revealing observations. She presents what
most people wish they could
say themselves, and says what
really matters with knowledge
that is universally relevant.
There is so much wisdom
in the book. It is like spending an afternoon talking with
someone who knows you really well. It is full of wonderful
quotes. It is realistic, yet uplifting, and it makes you wish you
were sitting at her kitchen table
with a cup of coffee with the
chance to ask questions and
draw out more stories from
this brilliant woman who was a
pioneer in women’s journalism,
as well as a best-selling author
and Pulitzer Prize winner.
In short, “Lots of Candles,
Plenty of Cake” makes a person
want to strive for more. How can
that be a bad thing?
I recommend this book to
people of all ages and all connoisseurs of life.
New album by Blaqk Audio
offers twist on electronic music
by DESI SANCHEZ
staff writer
If you’re looking for an album you can dance to, or you
just have a love for electronic
music, then the latest album
from Blaqk Audio may be for
you.
In 2001,
AFI front man
Davey Havok
and fellow
band member
and guitarist Jade Puget
began writing
songs for the
B l a q k Au d i o
project. But
with prior obligations to their
current band,
it wouldn’t be
until 2007 that
their first album “CexCells”
was released.
However,
the songs “Love
L i k e Wi n te r ”
and “37mm” released on AFI’s
2006 album “Decemberunderground” were originally written
for Blaqk Audio. Five years after
their debut, the band has perfected their electronic pop sound
with the follow-up, “Bright
Black Heaven,” which has
a much smoother sound.
Though it was technically
completed before AFI’s
2009 album, “Crash
Love,” its release
was delayed
because they
felt that releasing two
Blaqk Audio albums
in a row
might give
fans the
impression that
AFI had
disbanded
or, at the
very least,
had been
put on the
backburner.
The album opens up at a
slightly slower pace, with the
electro-ballad “Cold War” showcasing Havok’s strong vocal
range. The lyrics “Let the jury
see/let the hammer fall/ that
your pitiful pleas mean nothing
at all / nothing at all” set a dark
stage for this album.
Although the lyrics on the
second track are just as gloomy,
the actual
music
is much
more
upbeat.
Though modern, it also sounds
like something out of an oldschool video game. For the most
part, the music seems light and
happy, with sexually-charged
lyrics that touch on topics such
as voyeurism and adultery.
The fifth track, “Everybody’s
Friends,” is a great example. This
song tells a story
about a seasoned
adulteress and
someone who is
new to this lifestyle. With lyrics
such as “’Just unlock your hands/
and I will place
them for you’/ you
promised, ‘You’ll
be just fine/ I’ve
done this more
than a thousand
times,’” it is easy
to see this is the
case.
With Blaqk
Audio consisting
of two members
from AFI, it is
easy to assume
that many will
compare the two
bands. Although AFI’s album did
have songs that were intended
to be used for Blaqk Audio,
the two are very different. AFI
is more guitar-oriented, while
Black Audio is more keyboard/
synthesizer-oriented. Another
major difference is that instead
of having four members to make
decisions on music and lyrics,
Blaqk Audio relies on lyrics and
vocal melodies solely written
by Havok, while all music
and synthesizing is handled
by Puget.
This dynamic duo
makes this album one
to pick up for sure.
With intimate lyrics
and club-like dance
music, it’s hard to find
something comparable.
I, for one, cannot wait to
see what these two will come
up with next.
With the unique and addictive beats, I rate this album
4 of 5 stars.
15
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Our Last Night attempts to open minds of fans with new album, tour
“We were all super young, so
the band nine years later. He says
by JOSHUA HARRIS
it
sounds
different from our new
entertainment editor
that passion for music came from
CD,
”
Trevor
said. “But, that’s the
It’s not every day that you his father.
point
of
it
all,
to just grow.”
run across an amazing band.
“My dad always loved mu“We
got
there, and it was
Our Last Night is a five- sic,” Molloy says. “There was
like
a
legit
studio,
” Molloy said.
piece, post-hardcore “aggressive always something playing in the
“…It
was
the
fi
rst
thing
we ever
melodic rock” band consisting house or in the car. I probably
did
as
a
band
on
a
label
like
of Trevor Wentworth on vocals, wouldn’t be into music if it wasn’t
‘Here’s
a
recording
budget,
pick
his brother, Matt Wentworth, on for him.”
guitar and vocals, Alex “Woody”
Trevor’s first show with Our who you want to go with and
Woodrow on bass, Tim Molloy Last Night was a high school we’ll try and make it work and
on drums, and Colin Perry on talent show in which the band it all just worked out. The next
guitar.
played two original songs and thing we knew, we were in Seal
Beach, California, in a practice
The band just finished one cover.
headlining their “The Age of
“Everyone didn’t know what space with the dude who has
Ignorance Tour” with Adestria, to expect,” Trevor said with a done some of my favorite reFor All I Am, and Casino Madrid. laugh. “I was like 11 years old cords ever. He gets out of the car
The band also just released screaming on stage. Everyone with a Blue Tooth on and walks
their 10-track album, “The Age was kind of weirded out like, by us without saying a word, and
then he comes back out after,
of Ignorance,” which is packed ‘What is this?’”
‘Oh hey, I’m
full of amazSteve.”
ing music.
One of
Pr i o r to
the
hardest
this album,
questions
the band refor most
leased three
bands is
other CDs
who their
and one EP.
influences
In 2004, they
are.
released their
“ F o r
E P, “ W e ’ v e
influences,
Been Holding
it could be
Back.”The next
from anyone
year, they put
or anything,”
out their first
Trevor says.
CD, “Building
“Whether it
Cities From
be from othS cratch.” I n
er bands or
2008, the
other musiband released
Tim
Molloy
and
Trevor
Wentworth
take
a
break
from
preparing
for
cians, ……
their second
their
show
at
Jake’s
Back
Room
on
Sept.
3.
that hapCD, “ The
JOSHUA HARRIS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
pens to us
Ghost Among
on a daily
Us,” and 2010
basis, or
is when the CD, “We Will All
Since Molloy joined the
something
we
see
in a movie.
Evolve,” came out.
band later on, his first gig which
Everything
inspires
us.
”
The band started when the was at a VFW hall down the street
Finch,
Sum
41,
and
Good
guys were all fairly young.
from his home, was a different
Charlotte
are
some
of
the
musi“When I was 9 or 10 is when experience.
cal
infl
uences
behind
the
band.
I started playing music,” Trevor
“I remember we did five of
“Anything that came out on
Wentworth said. “We started our own songs, and then we did
“Drive-Thru
Records” from 2000the band when I was 11, and a cover of ‘D***it’ by Blink 182,”
2005,
Starting
Line, Homegrown,
everyone else was like 15 or 16. Molloy says. “That’s when evand
Finch,
”
Trevor
said.
We started playing a show later eryone started paying attention
The
band
recorded
their
that year, and we just kept at it to us. Then I didn’t play another
latest
album
in
New
Jersey
with
until we finally started going show for like three years.”
David
Bendeth,
who
has
worked
outside of our own state and
The band worked with Steve
playing shows in the surround- Evetts, who was a big influence with bands such as Breaking
ing states.”
on their first studio album as Benjamin, Killswitch Engage,
Molloy started drumming at a signed band under “Epitaph Papa Roach, Paramore, and
Eiffel 65.
the age of 10, and then he joined Records.”
Living fast, dying young prove to be major
themes in new album by Turnpike Troubadours
by ERICA SMITH
staff writer
Creating a hit album in
the country music industry is
a tough feat for bands theses
days.
With the release of their
third album, the Turnpike Troubadours have done just that, taking their latest album to number
57 on the Billboard 200.
The Red Dirt album, “Goodbye Normal Street,” released by
Bossier City Records on May 8,
is full of well-written lyrics and
songs that are easy to relate to.
Mixing ideas from their first two
releases, the band tried to blend
honkey-tonk and mellow to
bring originality to the genre.
Their first album, titled
“Bossier City,” was focused on
small-town life and came out
in 2007. “Diamonds & Gasoline,”
Turnpike Troubadours’ second
album, was all about the blue
collar themes of love, work,
and troubles, and coming out
in 2010.
The third album shares the
same ideas, but also brings along
tales of living fast and dying
young. It even shares a glimpse
into how their career started
out in the bars of Oklahoma and
Texas.
Band members Evan Felker, RC Edwards, Kyle Nix, Ryan
Engleman, and Gabe Pearson
are from isolated, small-town
Oklahoma, where they listened
to folk, bluegrass, traditional
country, and Cajun-style music.
All of these genres blended
together to make the unique
sound of this quickly-rising Red
Dirt band.
Popular songs on “Goodbye
Normal Street” include their hits
“Gin Smoke & Lies” and “Good
Lord Lorrie.” “Gin Smoke & Lies”
is an anthem for those who have
discovered an unfaithful partner
and the regret that comes with
that relationship.
The newly-popular “Good
Lord Lorrie” is a perfect description of the all-too-familiar young
love that fails. Felker, the band’s
frontman, wrote the song with
the wisdom of someone who
realizes he or she was wrong and
sums up their new album with
the lyrics, “And I’ve been learnin’
that believin’ and the barely
breakin’ even, it’s just a part of
life for you and me.”
For anyone who is a diehard fan of the Troubadours,
or people who just want to see
what the band is about, they
will be performing at Billy Bob’s
Texas in Fort Worth, Texas, on
Sept. 28.
“Goodbye Normal Street,”
by Turnpike Troubadours, earns
a 5 out of 5, because all of their
songs can be enjoyed by all
types of people.
“Once we had all of them
down [the songs], we went to
the studio and started doing
more preproduction with our
producer, just getting everything down exactly how we
wanted it,”Trevor said. “We didn’t
have that much time, and so we
tried to do as much as we could
in six weeks or so.”
The band is trying to break
the spell of ignorance, hence
their latest album name.
“We’re trying to reach out
to people who don’t really know
what’s going on in the world
now, like government,” Trevor
says.
“Politics, gas prices, the IRS,
anything that people don’t really
know.” Molloy added.
Trevor says that they are
trying to get people to do research.
“We’re not trying to tell
them exactly what it is,” Trevor
said. “Because we don’t even
know everything. We’re just trying to tell people to go look for it,
really find out what’s going on.”
The research that they are
trying to get people to do is
simple with technology.
“In
this day,
all it
takes is
a co m p u te r,
then you
go on to
Google,
and you
can pretty much
find out
whatever you
want to
find out,”
Molloy
says.
Th e
band is
currently on
tour in
Japan,
but will
r e t u r n Our Last Night guitarist Matt Wentworth joins in with
for the his brother Trevor in Lubbock recently.
full U.S. JOSHUA HARRIS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
t o u r
“ Talk
Your [S]#?! We’ll Give You A and Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!
Reason Tour,” with Woe, is Me, among others.
Art House Alley: ‘Late Night Catechism’
uses participation theatre as appeal
by DEVIN HARGROVE
news editor
Almost everyone in the
United States age 18 or older can
relate nostalgically to the ups
and downs of going to school.
This is the premise of the hit
comedy “Late Night Catechism,”
which will be presented at the
City Bank Auditorium on Oct.
12.
The play, which has been
running since 1993, is a form of
participatory theater centering
around a single fictitious nun on
stage, with members of the audience becoming participants.
The play is set up with the
nun teaching a class, and the
audience members becoming
participants in her classroom.
A comedic attitude is taken
with the play, with the opening
of the play centering on the nun
providing rewards for correct
answers with glow-in-the-dark
rosaries and laminated saint
cards. As the play progresses,
the nun slowly becomes more
authoritative and closer to the
modern-day interpretation of
Catholic school instructors.
The play should resonate
with all those who are familiar
with the experience of going to
school under a slightly authoritarian instructor.
Proceeds from the play, written by Vicki Quade and Maripat
Donovan, are used to fund retired nuns in need of assistance.
The original purpose of this was
to provide compensation to
nuns who were struggling due
to the Catholic Church opting
out of Social Security upon its
creation.
The Catholic Church has
since changed this and opted
into Social Security. However,
the option to raise funds for local churches through the play
is offered to all organizations
presenting the play.
I have high expectations for
the production, as it differs from
your garden variety Shakespeare
in the park. With the play being
not only religious themed, but
also a story of nostalgia, I am
positive that it will appeal to a
great many people in the area.
The fact that the play is done in
a fashion where the audience
is made to participate should
also appeal to a wider audience,
especially those who would usually find productions such as this
boring.
For more information about
the play or to purchase tickets,
visit www.celebrityattractions.
com or call 1(806) 770-2000.
16
Entertainment
October 1, 2012
Plainsman Press
Predictable scares turn horror movie into comedy
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
A young girl is limping
down the hallway of her home,
scratching walls and dropping
lamps in the process.
Her parents wake up, and
the mother decides to go check
on her daughter, only to be
stabbed ruthlessly. Once her
dad hears the screaming, he
stares at the door knob, wait-
ing to see who will be coming
through the door, only to be attacked by his daughter as well.
This opening scene for
“House at the End of the Street”
seemed promising, if only the
rest of the film had followed
suit.
A few years after the murders, Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence),
and her mom Sarah (Elisabeth
Shue), decided to rent the house
that is down the street from the
murder house, since those details
let them rent the property for a
significantly lower amount.
One night, Sarah is having
trouble sleeping and notices
that a light
is on in
the house,
e v e n
though
her realtor
said that
no one has
lived there
since the
parents
were murdered.
At a pot
luck dinner party
the nex t
day, Sarah
finds out
that there
was also a
son, Ryan
Jacobson
(Max Thieriot), who
wasn’t
home at
the time of
the murders.
After hearing her mom talk
about it, Elissa starts to ask
around about Ryan. She wants to
know more about why he wasn’t
home, and why he doesn’t come
out and socialize now. But her
mom tries to get her to leave
it alone by encouraging her to
make new friends with neighborhood kids.
At a party, Elissa gets annoyed with her supposed new
friends and decides that it is better to just walk home rather than
wait for one of them to give her a
ride back, even though it’s pouring rain outside. Ryan happens
to drive by her at this time and
offers to give her a ride, which
she reluctantly takes when she
realizes who he is.
Before long, Elissa and Ryan
start to hang out more, much to
her mom’s disbelief. After inviting him to dinner, only to say
that she didn’t want Elissa to be
around him, her mom tries to
keep better tabs on her daughter, even though she works late
most nights. But like any other
brooding teenager, Elissa finds
different ways around her mom’s
rules and keeps hanging around
Ryan.
But what she doesn’t know
is that Ryan has a dark secret.
While it has been rumored that
his sister drowned in a lake after
the murders, they never found
her body. And the secret in his
basement quickly becomes
Elissa’s worst nightmare.
This movie was horrible.
There’s no other way around it;
it was horrible.
First, the dialogue was unbelievably cheesy. I can understand
some dialogue being awful in
almost all movies, but this entire
movie was cheesy and awful.
It’s as if the movie was written
by someone who specializes
in after-school specials instead
Our Last Night delivers
satisfying studio album
by JOSHUA HARRIS
entertainment editor
Going into a new album is
usually a bumpy process.
However, Our Last Night
knocked it out of the park with
their latest album, “The Age of
Ignorance.”
This
album is
just jam
packed
w i t h
amazing
songs that
consist of
brilliant
lyrics and
fantastic
melodies.
“Fate”
is the first
song on
the album, and
it is a really great
one. I
love ever ything
a b o u t
this song.
The guitar
riffs all are
magical.
The drumming is epic, and the lyrics all
pose questions I’ve wondered.
“Are we alone? Are we in
control? Can we choose to play
a different role? Can we change
the grave that was dug for us? Or
is this the only path to take?”
Track 2 is titled “Send Me To
Hell.” This song’s lyrics include
the lines “Who thought that saving yourself could hurt so many
others?” and “If Heaven is where
you’ll be, send me to hell.”
The third track on the album is the title track, “Age Of
Ignorance.” This song has such
a powerful message behind it,
and I can definitely see why the
band picked this song to name
the album.
“Reason to Love” is the next
song on the album. It has such
a great feel to it, with lyrics that
are simple, yet they drive the
images home.
“I need someone to prove
to me that love is more than just
a tragic catastrophe. That sucks
the life out of me and brings me
down ‘cause all you’ve done is
leave me hopeless.”
The fifth track is “Liberate
Me.”The song is another amazing
song on this jam-packed album.
It also showcases some of the
older Our Last Night music. My
favorite lines from the song are:
“You tried to lock me down! I
found the key, liberate me! You
tried to lock me down! I found
the key! I said, ‘You’ll never take
my freedom away.’”
The music in “Voices” is aweinspiring, to say the least. The
deep meaning of the lyrics also
prevails in this song, with lines
such as “Welcome to a place
where me and you could search
but never find the truth. And
while the money speaks for the
kings and queens we bite our
tongues until they bleed.”
“Conspiracy” is track 7, and
it’s another great one. The melody behind the powerful lyrics
is “mesmerizing,” as the song
says while talking about dirty
deals, and being brain washed
by others.
My favorite song on the
album is track 9. “Invincible”
has a synth sound that reminds
me of the
Linkin Park
song. “Burn
It Down,” but
the fact that
it’s not the
new Linkin
Park makes
it 10 times
better. The
chorus has
been stuck
in my head
since I first
h e a rd t h e
song.
“A Sun
That Never
Sets” has
what I think
are the most
powerful lyrics on the album, which
is saying a
lot with all
of the wellwritten
songs. My favorite line of the
track is: “You claim that it’s faith,
and not that it’s real. But you
slave away so no one can steal
the place in the sky where you’ll
go when you die. I’m sorry I just
don’t get it”
Overall, this album is simply
amazing and must definitely be
added to your music library. I
recommend it to anyone looking for a different take on the
world, because these lyrics will
open your eyes.
I’ve had this album playing
every day for the past week,
and I give the album five out of
five stars.
of horror
movies.
Along
with that,
a majority
of the plot
was ridiculously predictable.
The only
time it
wasn’t predictable
was when
the plot
twist was
revealed.
But even
that wasn’t
worth the
time spent
watching
that movie. The plot twist was
definitely not something I saw
coming, which was nice, but the
twist itself was so stupid.
“House at the End of the
Street” came out on Sept. 21, and
I give it 1 out of 5 stars. The only
reason it’s getting a single star is
because of the opening scene.
Other than that, there is not
a single thing about this movie
that would make it something
I would recommend to people,
unless you’re looking for a good
laugh.
Author gives frightening
twist to bedtime stories
by LYNDA BRYANT WORK
editor-in-chief
It is time to read them a
bedtime story they won’t soon
forget.
From the imagination of
a British nanny comes a novella-length
book of bedtime stories
that read like
Stephen King
has just awakened from a
Grimm nightmare.
Firsttime author
Antoinette
G ergin has
written “Bedtime Stories
for Children
Yo u H a t e ,”
which is a
peculiar collection of 10
tales with
twisted humor. It is a
mixture of
“Oh, no,” and
“Did it really
say that?” The
book is filled
with unusual
and hilarious
stories, each
with its own
bizarre lesson.
If the reader is to believe the
writer’s authorial persona (who
claims to have spent a long and
painful career as a nanny for
numerous well-to-do families),
it is easy to understand why
she has spun these stories for
spoiled brats.
The book contains a selection of stories told by Bergin to
her hateful wards, including the
horrifying “Your Upstairs Neighbor Kills People,” “Blood in the
Sink,” “Will Fluffy Live Forever,”
and “No, It Isn’t Just the Wind.”
Her story about “Kevin’s First
and Last Trip to the Zoo” may not
increase therapy bills, but it is fun
to read aloud with tired parents,
teachers and other people who
are fed up with self-centered,
ill-mannered children.
While it is difficult to decide
whether it is a snarky exaggerated memoir or twisted fiction,
the dark humor keeps the reader
turning the pages – and laughing. It is important
to take it for what
it is – a collection
of ghoulish short
stories that are deliciously mean and
inappropriate (especially for children).
If the reader’s
f u n ny b o n e wa s
tickled by “Fractured
Fairy Tales” on “The
Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,” he or she
will very likely enjoy
these stories, which
are narrated in a casual style that pokes
fun at the sickeningly sweetness that
is usually found in a
bedtime story.
“Bedtime Stories For Children
You Hate” is likely
to amuse any adult
who picks up the
book. It is somewhat
short, but it is funny
in a twisted way and
definitely for readers with a sense of
humor. Adults who
know children well will appreciate the book, but it should be
kept away from children.
For some good laughs, I
recommend it. It is the “Twilight
Zone” of bedtime stories.
Fourth installment ruins “Resident Evil” film franchise
by JOSHUA HARRIS
entertainment editor
It only takes one horrid
movie to ruin a series.
Some would argue that the
“Resident Evil” series directed by
Paul W.S. Anderson died a long
time ago, but I still enjoyed the
previous film even with their
flaws. They sure weren’t the
video game series. But standing
alone, the films weren’t too bad.
However, I just can’t stand for
this atrocity called “Resident Evil:
Retribution.”
The film begins where the
last ended, aboard the Umbrella
ship. The beginning is played in
reverse from when Alice leaped
into the water to avoid a crashing Umbrella craft. For about the
first 15 minutes of the film, I keep
thinking to myself, this is going
to be a good movie. Just look at
all of this action.
The first part was good, and
then the movie started to lose its
plot value. Then about six bullets
were fired that ruined my movie
experience, as my favorite character is killed by the Red Queen’s
goons.
The only really cool thing is
that they finally added some other characters, such as Ada Wong,
Leon Kennedy, and Barry Burton.
The scene where Albert Wesker
was seated in the president’s
seat was great. As an aside, I
know I would vote for him.
Still talking about actors, I
was completely caught off-guard
when the Redfields weren’t in
the movie, or even mentioned.
Milla Jovovich said that “Chris
and Claire Redfield, and K-Mart
were captured by Umbrella, so
that’s why they aren’t in the film.”
I didn’t find out that because
there was no explanation in the
movie, until after I got out of
the theater and looked it up on
the “Internet Movie Database,”
IMDB.
From the trailers, you could
see that they had brought back
characters who were killed in
previous films. I thought that
they could have at least brought
back Mike Epp’s character, but
I guess he wasn’t well known
enough by Umbrella.
The movie was only 95 minutes long. So I blinked and it was
over, which was really disappointing.
The movie spirals down
into nothing, as if Anderson just
gave up writing it. The ending
is pure trash and just a ploy for
the next movie. If you care about
“Resident Evil,” or good movies,
don’t go see this one.
I give the film one star out of
five, only for the action and my
favorite character being in it.
17
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
‘End of Watch’ realistically portrays drug violence
by JAYME WHEELER
associate editor
Human trafficking, child endangerment, and the discovery
of dismembered bodies.
These are horrors that most
of us couldn’t imagine seeing
in our lifetime, but are all in a
day’s work in the movie “End of
Watch.”
The new crime thriller follows Officer Brian Taylor (Jake
Gyllenhaal) and his partner Mike
Zavala (Michael Pena) as they
patrol the streets of Los Angeles. After a violent shoot-out,
the partners are assigned to a
different area of the city that is
significantly more dangerous
than what they’ve seen before.
During one of their watches,
they find a missing car that had
been trashed and set on fire.
They put the pieces together,
realizing that they found the
minivan that had been used during a recent drive-by shooting
orchestrated by the drug cartel
against a local gang. They find
bullet casings for three different
weapons, but are quickly yelled
at for possibly tampering with
the scene.
While checking up on a
noise complaint, they realize
that they are crashing a party
run by the cartel leaders in the
area. The group laughs them off
and does drugs directly in front
of them, confident that the cops
won’t do anything. And just like
they wanted, Brian tells them to
turn down the music and walks
away.
After a particularly bad accident, Brian starts to tell Mike
about his idea to investigate the
possible cartel leaders deeper,
and wants
Mike to help
him, since he
had to help
Mike before
when he didn’t
want to.
As they’re
stak ing out
one of the
leaders’ houses, they see a
truck pull up
while an elderly woman
walks out
and gives the
man driving
a big bucket
of soup. Even
though they
don’t see anything worth
pulling him
over, they follow him and turn on the sirens.
But, as soon as Mike walks up to
the driver’s window, the driver
pulls out a gun and tries to shoot
him. While they’re waiting for
back up, they find money and
extremely decorated weapons,
including a jeweled 1911 handgun and gold AK-47 assault
rifle.
They decide to stop looking
for the trouble after getting told
that they ruined an ongoing
investigation into the cartel, but
it’s too late. The leaders have
noticed all the attention the
cops are getting for busting their
operations and decide it’s time
to take care of the problem.
Originally, I was skeptical
about how this movie was going
to be because of the found-footage marketing. It’s pretty obvious that it’s not found-footage,
and that Gyllenhaal isn’t a cop in
his day job. But, it’s put together
really well. Most of the film was
shot via cameras pinned to the
officers’ uniforms, and by a handheld camera that Gyllenhaal’s
character carries around as part
of a school project. But there are
also shots, such as the cartel’s
discussions, that were clearly
professionally filmed. The way
that all these different shots are
pieced together for the final film
is fantastic. It didn’t leave holes
in the plot, which are in just
about every other found-footage film.
Gyllenhaal and Pena were
both phenomenal. There was
a very genuine feel to their
friendship and their acting altogether. Their dialogue was just as
genuine, putting the audience
through their funny stories, but
also their tragedies and their
love lives.
But, there was something
much more important in this
film than their acting, and that’s
the plot. Why is it so important?
Well, for starters, people don’t
realize that this is actually going
on. There isn’t a day that goes by
that something related to the
drug war and the cartels isn’t being reported. And yet, it’s stunning how many people don’t
realize how chaotic everything
has gotten, and how real the
violence that surrounds it is.
“End of Watch” was released
on Sept. 21, and I recommend it
to everyone. It was an incredible
and realistic thrill ride that also
held an extremely important
message. I give it 5 out of 5
stars.
Hipster Death Squad releases new album, In This Moment returns
by JOSHUA HARRIS
entertainment editor
A band that has a great
name creates a hook to intrigue
new listeners.
Hipster Death Squad is a
name that sure caught my attention.
HDS is a one-man band
that consists of Michael Glucki
putting all of the music together. The band was formed
in Winnipeg, Canada, and is
electronic pop, or “Glückrock,” a
term coined by Glucki.
Currently, he is looking into
doing live sets of the music since
it has really taken off. So he is
searching for musicians to play
the different parts.
The band has released four
albums, starting with “No One Is
An Island” in September 2011,
“Big City Nights” in December
2011, “The
Break-Up”
in August
2012, and
the latest
album, “All
Around
The World”
released
just last
month.
Out of
t h o s e
albums
HDS has
released,
my favorite songs
are “Soc i a l i t e s ,”
“Gimme
M o re,” “ I
Don’t Get
Down,” and
“Queensland Coastline.” The
songs have such a unique, mellow sound that is healthy for the
soul and calming for the mind.
A couple of the things I really enjoy about HDS is that on
some of the tracks, Glucki’s voice
sounds reminiscent of that of
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
That alone is pretty amazing,
considering Reznor’s status as
one of the great singers. The
other thing is the artwork. Glucki
uses Lite-Brites to create the
band’s name in different colors
for each album.
Check HDS out at hipsterdeathsquad.com.
Soundgarden will release
their first album in more than
15 years on Nov. 13. The album,
titled “King Animal,” will be the
first album since “Down on the
Upside” in 1996.
On Oct. 22, Incubus will
release their two-disk CD, “The
Essential Incubus.” The album
contains 28 tracks, including hits
such as “Drive,”“Pardon Me,” and
“Black Heart Inertia.”
Flyleaf’s new album, “New
Horizons,” is set to be released
on Oct. 30.
Crystal Castles have announced a new album release
set for November. The album
has yet to be named, but there
is one track, “Plague,” that is already streaming online, and it’s
a great one.
Coming to Jake’s are two
more great rock shows in October. On Oct. 21, In This Mo-
ment will be in
Lubbock, with
tickets only
$9.94, plus a
service charge.
On Oc t. 24,
Hellyeah will
come to town.
Tickets for
that show are
$22.50, plus a
service charge.
The opening bands
for these two
shows are
currently not
known.
18
Sports
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Judging team relies on maturity in strong start for new season
by KATI WALKER
staff writer
The Livestock Judging Team
at South Plains College is looking for maturity for the upcoming season.
Practice began early for the
members of this year’s team,
starting on the first day of the
fall semester.
Returning to the team are
sophomores: Kaitlyn Farmer, of
Aztec, N.M.; Chelsea Holder, of
Paradise; Alleigh Ory, of Brady;
Reina Lewis, of Tulia; Jacob
Painter, of Aztec, N.M.; Collin Powers, of Bells; Andrew
Sprague, of Follett; Taylor Tjaden,
of San Angelo; and Dalton Zipp;
of Marion.
“It’s incredible how the
maturation level changes so
drastically over the course of
one, seemingly quick, year of
college,” says Cade Wilson, coach
of the Livestock Judging Team.
“ The returning sophomores
provide a sense of normalcy to
the program. Their work ethic
and drive to be successful is
often times emulated by their
younger peers, so we make sure
that a high level of intensity is
practiced from day one.”
New members to the judging team include: Zena Doty,
of Aztec, N.M.; John Drake, of
Ropesville; Lane Hale, of Ozona;
Justin Hearth, of Idalou; Jenna
Holt-Day, of Levelland; Seth
Mahan, of Welch; Jake Petree, of
Acuff; Brett Price, of New Deal;
Paxton Pugh, of Levelland; Watt
Ragle, of Paradise; and Cord
Weinheimer, of Fredricksburg.
“The freshmen always bring
fresh optimism and a spirit of
learning to the team,” Wilson
said. “This freshmen class is
uniquely diverse, not only coming from varying regions, but,
to this point, they have different
backgrounds and experiences
within the livestock industry.”
This semester, the judging
team will travel across the state
and region attending judging
contests. They will participate
at the Tri State Fair in Amarillo,
the State Fair of Texas in Dallas,
the Texas Tech Mock in Lubbock,
the Oklahoma State Mock in
Stillwater, Okla., the Oklahoma
Panhandle State University Contest in Goodwell, Okla., West
Texas A&M University Contest
in Canyon and the Exposure
Contest in Stillwater, Okla.
“These contests are used as
building blocks to our national
contest,” Wilson said.
The teams will also compete
at two national contests this
semester, the American Royal in
a screening at a cheerleading
clinic. Each must work hard on
a given routine with a level of
difficulty. “If they can't preform
it, then they can not be on the
squad.” says McCulloch. They are
given a week to practice and to
perform before their coach. They
have to maintain a GPA level of
2.5 in order to be on the team.
“We don't do any stunting,
and we concentrate mainly on
dancing,” McCulloch says. “We
perform at all the halftimes at
the basketball games, so we
have to perform two dance routines each night for every basketball game. We usually don't
ever try to repeat any of our
also stay on campus for cheer
camp during the summer for
four days and three nights. This
camp is provided through a
private company called AmeriCheer from Cincinnati, Ohio.
During the three-night stay, the
team will work on new dance/
cheer routines, and be able to
build close friendships with one
another.
“It's like having 12 daughters, and they are all good girls,”
McCulloch says.
If any one on the squad
members misses a practice, they
are handled with accordingly,
McCulloch says, and may have
to sit out during a game. She
Cheerleaders work hard to
represent college, community
by MICHAELA LUIS
staff writer
It takes more than just
pom-poms and school spirit to
be a Texan Cheerleader.
“The best of the best girls
are chosen, and each girl is
unique,” says Linda McCulloch,
the cheerleading director and
administrative assistant to the
athletic director at SPC.
Those selected for this
year's squad are: Brittany Stanton, a freshman from Idalou
who will be majoring in Speech
Pathology; Kelsey Pittman, a
sophomore from Brownfield
majoring in Radiology; Madylin DeLeon, a freshman from
Kansas City, Mo., and the International Livestock Exposition in
Louisville, Ken.
“Our goal is to become a
more proficient team at evaluating livestock so we can finish
the spring semester strongly,”
Wilson said.
Wilson says that the SPC
team is looking quite competitive for the start of the year.
“The sophomores are working hard to put themselves in a
position to be successful,”Wilson
said.
The team is coming off of a
strong 2011-2012 season, having finished in the top 10 at five
of six national contests. They
posted their highest finish at the
National Western in more than
10 years and the highest finish at
the San Antonio Livestock Show
and Rodeo in SPC history.
Building on the past year’s
experience, Wilson plans to expand on that success in 2013.
“I obviously learn which
teaching techniques are more
successful over the years and
hope to continue to refine my
coaching philosophy,” Wilson
said. “However, every year is
different. We will start with
a new group, teaching work
ethic, commitment, teamwork,
responsibility, communication
skills, critical thinking, plus many
more skills.”
Just because Wilson has
high hopes for the students’ success does not mean that he can
guarantee they are personally
successful, though.
“What the students do with
these life lessons will be up to
them, “ says Wilson. “You can
lead a horse to water, but you
can’t make him drink. I believe
that motivation from me or
any other coach is short lived.
However, if the students take
ownership of the program and
self-motivate themselves, I think
they can build strong character
traits that will last a lifetime.”
Wilson advocates a philosophy based on knowing and
living the fundamentals from
the start.
“I believe, and we strive to
teach, the students that there
are fundamental truths when
we evaluate livestock,” Wilson
explains. “Consumer preferences
set the standard for our market
classes of livestock while practicality of traits, which relate to
input costs, drive our placings in
classes of breeding livestock.”
The judging field gets increasingly more complex the
deeper the competition.
“ The livestock judging
venue has a lot of subjectivity
to deal with,” Wilson said. “We
make every effort to instill these
fundamental principles into our
teams.”
The judging team will compete again Oct. 8 at the State Fair
of Texas in Dallas.
The members of the 2012-2013 Livestock Judging Team look forward to continued sucess.
BRITTANY RICE/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Cross country teams compete at Texas Tech Open
by TYLER JOHNSON
sports editor
The members of the 2012 SPC cheer team look forward to supporting Texan and Lady Texan
athletics.
MICAELA LUIS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Tahoka majoring in nursing;
Cynthia Rodriguez, a freshman
from Plains majoring in radiology; Haylee Turner, a freshman
from Whiteface majoring in
broadcast journalism; Oyuki
Perez, a freshman from Morton
majoring in accounting; Ericka
Cueva, a sophomore from Amherst majoring in education;
Hayli Clements, a sophomore
from Lubbock majoring in
per-dentistry; Gina Galuan, a
freshman from Lovington, N.M.
majoring in psychology; Kadeeja McCall, a freshman from
Lubbock majoring in criminal
justice; Stephanie Morales, a
freshman from Lubbock majoring in business communication;
and Shaylin Taylor, a sophomore from Plains majoring in
sports broadcasting.
Tryouts were held in April.
Out of 40 to 45 girls who participated, only 12 girls have
been selected. Before they start
try outs the girls go through
dance routines in the same semester. Every dance that is performed is unique and different
from any dance routine. The girls
choreograph their own dance
routines. They have a lot of practice until each routine is learned.
Then they perform
a t
games,
even at
different high
schools.”
The girls
says that “being absent during
practice is just like missing a
class. It is required, and the girls
do get a physical education
credit for participating on the
cheer/dance team.”
The members of the team
also participate in volunteering
in different community services.
Last year, the girls helped out
in the community by raffling
tickets for a fundraiser to help
donate to the Hockley
County Child Welfare during the
Miss Caprock
Pageant. They
raffled tickets for
an I-pad
2. This
year, the
girls are
looking
forward
to volu n te e r i n g
again.
The South Plains College
men’s and women’s cross country teams started competition
for the 2012 season with high
aspirations.
The Texans and Lady Texans
opened their 2012 campaign on
Sept. 14th in Lubbock, running
in the Texas Tech Open at Meadowbrook Golf Course.
The Lady Texans, competing
in the 5,000-meter race, completed the course with a combined
total of 87 team points, good for
a third-place overall finish.
Among those competing
for the SPC women’s team was
sophomore Darroneshia Lott,
who finished ninth overall with
a time of 19:48.18. Lott, who won
the same event a year ago with a
time of 19:03.00, was unable to
recapture her championship.
Running alongside Lott
was freshman Ekaterina Miroshnikova, who finished 22nd overall
with a time of 20:36.66. Desreen
Montague posted a time
of 20:58.81 and finished 26th , while
Michaela Johnson
finished 27th with
a time of 21:01.75.
Maddie Kaufman
finished 32nd
with
a
time of
21:12.94.
Trey Quick led the SPC
men’s team in his first meet
with a 27:31.78 clocking, finishing 28 th overall. Freshman
Zach Daniel
finished
40th with a
time of
28:01.25.
Fr e s h m a n
Brandon Bernal was 43rd in
28:09.06, while Cordaryl
Whitehead was 47th in
28:13.47. Eladio Perez finished 58th overall in 28:32.22 to
round out the scoring.
The teams return to action
on Oct. 6 at SPC.
Cordaryl Whitehead leads the pack during a recent practice for the men’s cross country team.
ALY RICHARDSON/PLAINSMAN PRESS
19
Sports
Plainsman Press
October 1, 2012
Controversy sends Texas Tech in search of another new coach
by JORDAN IRVINE
staff writer
The Texas Tech University
men’s basketball program has
been a topic of controversy
during the past decade, not
because of the team having success on the court, but because
of the lack of victories and the
high-profile coaches who have
been brought in who did not live
up to expectations.
Legendary coach and Hall
of Fame inductee Bob Knight
was brought to Lubbock to
change the culture of losing,
and build the team into a national powerhouse, along with
advancing to post-season play
and maybe even a few trips to
the NCAA Final Four.
Bob Knight did lead the Red
Raiders to six NCAA tournament
appearances, but was knocked
out in the first round four out of
six times, never advancing past
the Sweet 16. After six seasons
with the Raiders, Bob Knight
handed over the reins to the
team to his son, Pat Knight.
During his six seasons as the
head coach, Pat Knight did not
reach the NCAA tournament,
and was reprimanded several
times for on-the-court issues
with officials, as well as players.
In an incident in 2008, Pat Knight
ran on to the court during a
game and chased after an official because he did not agree
with a foul being
called on one of
his players. Knight
was ejected from
the game, but after
being escorted to
the locker room,
he ran back on to
the court after the
official, and the
security staff was
forced to take him
back into the locker
room. Knight was
eventually suspended by the Big
12 Conference, and
in 2011, was fired
as the Texas Tech
head basketball coach.
Texas Tech was under immense pressure to find a replacement who would bring the team
to elite levels, and lead the Red
Raiders to be more than an average team in the Big 12 Conference. The search was on to find a
coach with the same capabilities
as Bob Knight, who could also
get top-tier recruits to West
Texas, which is not always easy
to do, while competing with the
likes of the University of Texas
and Texas A&M University.
After months of deliberation
and searching, the university decided to hire former Texas A&M
and Kentucky basketball coach
Billy Gillespie. Gillespie was
also an assistant coach at South
Plains College during the 19931994 season, before leaving to
be the recruiting coordinator at
Baylor University.
Gillespie is known as an
excellent recruiter who has
managed to put together four
consecutive top-25 recruiting
classes, one of only two coaches
to earn the honor. In 2007, Gillespie was hired at Kentucky,
one of the most elite basketball
programs in the nation. After
two disappointing seasons with
the Wildcats, Gillespie was fired,
because of disappointing sea-
sons on the court, and run-ins
with star players who were not
in favor of his coaching style and
treatment of players.
In 2011, Gillespie was named
as the 14th coach of the Texas
Tech basketball team. Unfortunately, it did not take Gillespie
long to find himself in the eyes of
the media for negative reasons,
again. In October 2011, Gillespie
exceeded the 20-hour practice
limit set by the NCAA. Texas Tech
reprimanded both Gillespie and
an assistant coach in January
2012. Along with the penalties
in his past, Gillespie was in the
doghouse with his players once
again.
Since Gillespie took over
the team in 2011, 30 different
players chose to leave the team
and the University because of
alleged mistreatment. Such actions include forcing players to
put their studies to the side and
practice more, forcing players
to practice and play while they
were injured, and keeping players Ty Nurse and Dejan Kravic in
doubt about their scholarship
status.
Jordan Tolbert, the leading scorer for the Red Raiders
last season, said that he did
not want to play for Gillespie if
he was allowed to return from
an extended medical leave,
and threatened that he would
leave the program if Gillespie
returned. There have been reports surfacing that Gillespie
forced an undisclosed player
to run bleachers while he had a
fractured foot. The player, whose
name has yet to be disclosed, is
looking into filing legal charges
against Gillespie if permanent
long-term damage is cause to
his injured foot.
Recently, Gillespie was hospitalized with heart attack-like
symptoms for two weeks. This
seemed strange to some, because Gillespie checked himself
into a Lubbock hospital the
day before he was to meet
Kirby Hocutt, the Texas Tech
athletic director, to discuss his
future with the team. Doctors
do believe Gillespie did have real
symptoms and had a very high
the University to find a replacement and bring in a coach with
a winning resume, on and off
the court.
Gillespie has had more
chances than any other coach
in recent memory. Yet, once
again, he burned another bridge
and squandered another opportunity similar to those he had at
Kentucky. Texas Tech will now
have to rebound with a winning
season, and bring in a coach who
has been there and done that,
to regain the respect of current
players, and high-profile recruits
who will be considering Texas
Tech a place to continue their
careers.
New era of quarterback
style emerges in NFL
Rodeo teams show signs
for promising fall season
The SPC rodeo team returns
by ASHLEIGH WOLBRUECK Tarleton State University ranked
to
action
on Sept. 27, heading to
staff writer
first with 563.00 points.
Alpine
to
compete at Sul Ross
For the women’s team, KimThe South Plains College berly Hendley and Kipty Watt State University. Results were
men’s and women’s rodeo teams tied for seventh place in goat not available at press time.
got their first chance to see how tying.
they can compete in
New Mexico recently.
They travelled to
Portales, N.M. on Sept
20 - Sept 22 for their
first competition of
the fall semester, lead
by some new strong
competitors.
Tw o m e m b e r s
of the men’s team
competed in bareback riding. Dylan R.
Wahlert tied for seventh place with 25.0
points. Kyle Edmond
Sutherland was not far
behind in ninth place
with 20.0 points.
In bull riding, Colt
Cleavinger took first
place, bringing in a
strong 180.0 points
for SPC.
I n s te e r w re s tling, Tyson Willick
finished eighth place
with 20.0 points, while
Jarrett Edwin Parson
was close behind in
ninth place with 10.0
points.
In the team roping category, Randall
Tate Teague placed
seventh as the roping header with 10.0
points, and Murphey
Chandler Black placed
seventh as the roping
heeler, bringing in another 10.0 points.
Overall, the SPC
men’s team ranked A member of the rodeo team practices before his next competition
sixth with 225.0 points. ANNA DODSON/PLAINSMAN PRESS
blood pressure rate caused by intense stress and a lack of taking
care of personal health issues.
Gillespie was ordered by doctors
to avoid all stressful activities for
30 days, and his condition would
be re-evaluated sometime in
mid October.
Chris Walker, assistant head coach, was
named in charge of
the day-to-day operations of the basketball
team.
Gillespie has had
a track record on the
court that can’t be argued with because of
the solid resume of
winning games. But his
off-the-court actions,
along with players
leaving his teams and
going to the administration, became too
much for the University
to deal with. On Sept.
21, Gillespie resigned
as head coach, citing
health concerns as the
main reasons for stepping down.
Gillespie was brought to
Lubbock to turn around a program that has been in the middle
of the pack in the Big 12 for the
last decade, and bring greatness
to a University that has never
seen a Final Four birth. Texas
Tech fans will never know what
could have been if Gillespie had
decided to come back and coach
the Raiders, but it is now time for
by TYLER JOHNSON
sports editor
Quarterbacks who run the
spread offense cannot succeed in the National Football
League.
A popular topic of discussion
for many years, quarterbacks
who operated in the spread
offense in college were often
scrutinized for whether they
would succeed when it came to
competing in the NFL.
They would not be able to
make the proper reads needed
to be a successful quarterback
in the NFL, some have said. I’ve
heard it all.
Some of this scrutiny and
prejudice was based solely off of
a few players who were unsuccessful in making the transition
from the spread to a more prost yle and
traditional
offense,
more commonly used
in the NFL.
To the
people
who made
that judgment call, I
bet you are
regretting
that right
about now.
C a m
Newton,
the Heism a n Tr o phy-winning quarterback
from Auburn Uni-
versity, shut up those doubters
last season when he became the
NFL Rookie of the Year.
Newton not only succeeded,
but he also easily surpassed any
expectations, or preconceived
notions, of him.
Newton succeeds by doing
just what he did in college, by
running the ball. He ran for 706
yards and 14 touchdowns while
throwing for more than 4,000
yards and 21 touchdowns. And
this is in a league in which it was
apparently “impossible” for a
quarterback to survive running
the ball.
So to those who said those
quarterbacks would never be
able to translate their talents to
the NFL, that the offense was a
gimmick and could never work,
I say to you, look at Newton’s
stats.
The Carolina Panthers, the
team that took the chance and
drafted Newton with the first
overall pick in the 2011 NFL
draft, were scrutinized by many
for taking such a high risk on
a guy who others felt was not
a good fit for the league and
wouldn’t become anything. Well,
I would say that was the best risk
I’ve ever seen.
How about those doubters? Biting your tongue about
now, huh?
Newton is not the only
spread offense-based quarter-
back succeeding in the NFL. He
really just set the stage for the
future of the NFL.
I believe that all those
doubters and know-it-alls are
regretting every word they ever
said about the spread offense, as
well as about the quarterbacks
who operated it. And why is
this?
It’s pretty simple when you
watch a NFL game and notice
that almost every team now is
running the spread, or some
form of it, and becoming pretty
successful at it too. Another
funny thing about this is what
makes this offense so successful
is the quarterback running it.
Yes, you heard me correctly,
the quarterback.
Doesn’t look like a gimmick
offense anymore, does it?
Some of the more successful teams in the NFL during
the past few seasons are the
teams whose quarterbacks ran
the spread offense in college,
because they are simply more
mobile and so much harder to
stop. They do not know how to
stop these quarterbacks.
So I find myself seeing how
hypocritical these analysts were.
You say these quarterbacks will
not and cannot succeed in the
NFL, and then they do, and now
you’re building your offense
around them?
20
October 1, 2012
Spotlight
Plainsman Press
Animat ion Fascin at ion
Anime fans gather for games, cosplay at A-kon
by JOSH HARRIS
entertainment editor
Anime is to Japan what
apple pie is to America.
For the past 23 years, the
anime convention, A-Kon, has
brought a little slice of Japan
to Dallas.
Anime, by Japanese definition, is all animation and cartoons, no matter what the style,
or genre. Elsewhere, such as in
the United States, we’ve come
to relate the term anime to
mainly Japanese cartoons and
animation.
The attendance for A-Kon
22 in 2011 was 18,447, after a
meager 380 attendees were
present at A-Kon 1 in 1990.
The phrase “so many things
to do, so little time,” holds true at
A-Kon. There were many different and unique things going on
at the same time.
The “Artist Alley” was another mainstay with its brilliant
artwork and crafts at affordable
prices. One of the popular upand-coming artists is Danielle
Sylvan. The 19-year-old illustrator Danielle Sylvan started out
near her home of Baltimore at the Otakon
convention and has
since been coming to
A-Kon.
“I heard they had
an artist alley, so I wanted to sell in it,” Sylvan
said. “Ever since
then, I’ve started
doing more conventions around
the country. It’s really
helped me, because
I get a lot of good
feedback from
customers, and
it really inspires
me to keep making art.”
Gaming tournaments took
place on the third
floor of the hotel. The games
that were played
on this virtual
battleground
included “Dance
Central Chall e n g e ,” “ S t r e e t
Fighter IV,” “Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare
3,” “Super Smash Brothers Brawl,” “Ultimate
Marvel vs. Capcom 3,”
“Soul Calibur 5,”“Street
Fighter X Tekken,” “Gears of War
3,” and “Halo: Reach.” The best
part about the gaming room is
that it was open to the A-Kon
attendees.
In addition to the console
games, there was also tabletop
gaming tournaments which included Magic the Gathering, YuGi-Oh!, and World of Warcraft.
Laughter wasn’t a hard
thing to find at the convention,
with many comedic acts taking
the stage.
Voice actor Kyle Hebert
hosted a “midnight movie mocking” over the movie “Super Mario
Bros.,” during which he just made
fun of the entire movie while
watching it.
Nerdcore Comedy
famous cosplayers, including
Yaya Han and Meredith Placko,
otherwise known as Ana Aesthetic. Han has been cosplaying
since 1999, and has made more
than 200 costumes of various
characters form comics, mangas,
video games, and even her own
creations. Placko is a journalist
with a degree in Fashion Design
who has been cosplaying for
more than a decade. Placko
was featured in the “New York
Times,” “Maxim,” and “Star Wars
of the convention, there were
many panels to attend.
There also was a voice
actors autograph signing by
Quinton Flynn, Kyle Hebert,
Cherami Leigh, Vic Mignogna,
and Rosearik Rikki Simons. Flynn
is best known for voicing video
game characters Raiden from
the “Metal Gear Solid” series,
and Axel in “Kingdom Hearts II.”
Hebert’s career includes voicing
Ryu in “Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3,” all of the male characters
abridging anime series, including the popular “Dragonball Z Abridged,” were
in attendance, including
Scott “KaiserNeko” Frerichs,
Nick “Lanipator” Landis, and
Curtis “Takahata101” Arnott.
While there, “Team Four Star”
unveiled the new episode of
“Dragonball Z Abridged.”
On the Friday night,
Japanese bands AYABIE and
OZ put on a show. It was
Night featured James Ponce,
Michael Suarez, and
Alex “Kool-Aid” Ansel. The comedians
have performed their
video game and comic bookrelated comedy all across the
country.
Insider,” along with
winning the “Hottest Cosplayer of the
Year” award.
T h e d e a l e r ’s
room opened midday on Friday and
was a definite fan-favorite. Every
treasure you could ever want
was there. Classic video games,
comic books, mangas, anime
films, swords, and all sorts of
Cosplaying is one of the
biggest features that A-Kon
has to offer. There are so many
different costumes and several
nick nacks drained the wallets
and purses of many attendees
by the end of the day.
Spread across the few days
in “X Men Arcade,” teen Gohan in
“Dragon ball Z,” and Vato Falman
in “Fullmetal Alchemist,” among
others. Leigh’s vocal experience
includes Aisa, Pepper, and Miss
G o l d e n We e k
in “One Piece,”
Naomi in “Witchblade,” and Setsuna and Akira
i n “ N e g i m a .”
Simon’s biggest
role was voicing
GIR in “Invader
ZIM.”
Voice actors,
however, were
not the only special guests in attendance at the
convention, as
Tak Sakaguchi
was one of the
major names.
Sakaguchi does
it all. He isn’t only
an actor, but a
mar tial ar tist,
scriptwriter, director, and fight
choreographer,
all coming from
his roots of being
a street fighter in Japan, where
he was discovered.
Some of the members of
“Team Four Star,” known for
thing that hasn’t been seen
by people who don’t attend
conventions that Mignogna
goes to, a live-action version of
“Fullmetal Alchemist,” with the
characters played by the actors
who voice them. It was a very
emotional Q & A, and hopefully
he will be back for A-Kon 24.
Saturday night held a plethora of fun at the rave/dance
party that was hosted by DJ’s
Void, Violence, and Mr. Yates. The
night started
with another
excruciatingly
long line to get
into the rave.
After three or
four hours of
dancing, the
night of dance
trains and
glow sticks
was brought
to an end.
Overall,
A-kon was an
amazing place
that everyone
who likes anime should go
to at least once
in his or her
lives. A-Kon 24
will be on May
31 – June 2,
2013, but will instead be at The
Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
also OZ’s first appearance in the
United States.
One highlight the next day photos by JOSH HARRIS/
was a question-and-answer ses- PLAINSMAN PRESS
sion by voice actor Vic Mignogna. Mignogna is a
big name in the anime business as the
voice behind some
beloved characters,
such as Edward Elric from “Fullmetal
Alchemist,” Broly in
“Dragonball Z,” Ikkaku in “Bleach,” and
Kurz in “Full Metal
Panic.” He spoke for
several hours about
everything from his
past, to even hinting
around about a new
show that he was
recording voices for
the next day.
Mignogna took
the cell phones of
fans and called
friends and siblings
of some in attendance who couldn’t
make it to the convention. He also
gave hundreds of
hugs to fans, some
of whom were in
tears. His session
ended with some-