Hijacking Under the Influence

Victoria Watson

Staff Writer

     On the Friday of February 7th, a man attempted to hijack a plane headed from Kharkov,Ukraine to Turkey during flight over The Black Sea. He claimed there was a bomb on board the plane while attempting to enter the cockpit of the plane by threatening pilots with what he claimed to be a “detonator” and demanded for the plane to land in Sochi, Russia, where the 2014 Winter Olympics are now taking place. Pilots were forced to make an early landing in Istanbul, Turkey, forcing 110 passengers to exit the plane while while Turkish police searched for the bomb.

     Many thought it could have been terrorist attempt from the Caucasus region of Russia, who 

earlier threatened to make an attack on the Winter Games. This was brought up because the hijacking of the plane was made during the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics.

     After the search had been made, Turkish special forces swiftly took the suspect who was found to be an older, Ukrainian man, into custody. No one who was on board the plane was harmed and there was no actual bomb to be found on the aircraft, as the hijacker had claimed and had not gained any access to the plane's cockpit.

     Istanbul Governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu later spoke with reporters saying that the suspect at 

hand was intoxicated and, “didn't seem to have consumed alcohol, but he may have used some others substances.” Though many other claim that the, track suite wearing, “air pirate” called so by Turkish public, may have been intensely drunk. There is no word yet on what the suspect meant to do if the plane had made it to Sochi or weather or not he actually was just too intoxicated to even grasp what he was doing at the time.

     This is a very tense time with all the pressure Russia is under with terrorist threats, hosting the Winter Olympics, and ban of gay rights, yet the games have gone on as planned.

Human Trafficking

Olivier Solon
Staff Writer

     Did you know Florida is ranked third in the country with the highest number of Human Trafficking cases? The concept is usually associated with 3rd world countries but according to the U.S. Dept of State, there are about 60,000 slaves in the U.S. today with about 30 million around the world. Human trafficking generates over $32 Billion annually in profit. Over 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was written, the fact that slavery still exists is truly astonishing.

     Human trafficking may seem like a foreign issue to us in South Florida but truth has it that we have a significant problem here and it happens very frequently and often right under our noses. Just last month Club Madonna in Miami was busted for featuring a 13 year-old runaway who was forced into stripping and prostitution. Under the Prostitution Statute of Florida, “buying sex” carries a mandatory fine of $5,000 of which $4,500 goes into supporting safe houses and reform for victims. It seems to be getting closer to home as media shines more and more light on these cases across the country and locally.

     On January 30th Broward College Central Campus partnered up with Free The Slaves to host a conference titled, “Human Trafficking: Exposing the Crisis, Devising Strategies and Solutions,” bringing together various members of Congress, States Offices, Sheriffs offices and advocates for organizations against human trafficking to speak out on the issue. The event was held in the Bailey Hall Auditorium from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

     “We’ve had more victims of domestic sex trafficking of minors in Broward in the last two years than in any other place in South Florida, including Miami” declared Barbara A. Martinez of the U.S. Dept of Justice Attorney’s Office.

     These traffickers are specifically targeting vulnerable children who may be struggling with poverty and homelessness and a safe shelter is the biggest proponent to keeping them out of harm and away from the life. Victims are more easily lured when suffering from drug addiction, under the influence or searching for a fix. The approximate time it takes for a trafficker to gain the trust of a child is about a month or less. Traffickers prey upon vulnerability filling a void, offering to provide basic needs and dreams of something better.

     We mustn't forget that although the trafficking of our communities young children is indeed atrocious, these are not the only victims. Those forced into labor and domestic servitude are far under the radar for most of them are undocumented immigrants. Executive Director of Free The Slaves, Maurice Middleberg proposed that comprehensive immigration reform can aid in the prosecution of those who profit from trafficking and the enslavement of migrant workers.

     “The goal of the event was purely about awareness so it was so critical for us to get people there so that they understand that this issue is occurring in not only all over the world but in their backyard,” said Gregory Haile. Haile is the General Council and VP for Public Policy and Government Affairs for Broward College. With about 500 RSVPs and even more in attendance he considered the event to be extremely successful.

     Political Science Professor Kevin Walsh, recommended that his students attend the seminar not only for extra credit but to spark debate on the topic in class. “Generate some activism would be the primary objective because a lot of people have absolutely no idea that this is going on,” said Prof. Walsh. “You really can’t address the issue unless you're aware of the problem itself.”

     “Of course I knew it was wrong and I want to do something but I didn’t know what to do about it so this is really interesting and eye opening” said Elizabeth Mulet, Public Relations major. When asked what she will do about it after she said “Spread the word [through social media.]”

     Upon reading this article you may feel this is probably the best thing we can do as students but not all reactions were mutual.

     “It’s like throwing money at the problem and it’s not really doing much,” said Hunter Yeago, a Dual Enrollment student who took to the mic to ask the panelists multiple questions. He also said “We can help prevent it for the future a little bit in these various ways but I feel like there has to be some kind of action done in going and stopping these people.”

     The world of trafficking is very dangerous and may be no place for students to be actively involved but after this event those who attended are better equipped to not only acknowledge signs of human trafficking but also to know what to do if faced with a situation where they can potentially save a life.

The Bell Jar Review

Bella Riccitelli

Staff Writer

     The Bell Jar, an autobiographical novel by American poet and writer Sylvia Plath is probably one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.

     Taking place in the 50s but written in the 60s, Plath grabs readers by the hand and walks them through her years of college as an intern for a magazine in New York.

     

After winning a contest, the main character Esther Greenwood, known to be Plath’s alter-ego, won the competition to guest edit a fashion magazine. Hotel rooms, meals, clothes, and other various luxuries are paid for by the contest hosts.       

     Throughout the book, Greenwood begins to act and think differently. Towards the end of her college internship, photographs are taken of all of the contest winners. This is when Greenwood has her first real emotional breakdown.

     Deeper into the book is when Plath is believed to have started to lose her mind. Her character, Greenwood, returns home after the internship and decides to drop out of college. Greenwood spends her days lazily in bed, moping around the house, and refrains from sleep for days upon days.

     After her mother notices that Greenwood has entered a deep depression, she takes her daughter to a psychiatrist. This specific doctor makes Greenwood do electroshock therapy. All that this does is worsen her condition.

     Once Greenwood began getting worse, she really thinks about committing suicide. Attempts include using a razorblade, drowning, and hanging.

     Then, one day while her mother is away at work, Greenwood leaves a note on the counter stating that she went for a walk. When her mother returns home, she finds an empty house and begins to panic.

     While Greenwood’s mother was working, she snuck into her safe, stole her sleeping pills, and attempted suicide by overdose in a compartment under their home. However, the suicide failed, and she was found a few days later.

     Similar to Greenwood’s suicide attempt, Plath herself attempted suicide in the same manner around the same time.
I was extremely intrigued and captivated by Greenwood’s mental unstableness. To read about a time when someone can almost pinpoint the exact moment they started going off the deep end is really something.

       Once Greenwood’s attempt of suicide was known, she is taken to a hospital. After a few more mental breakdowns, she is moved to the psychiatric ward of the hospital.

       There, she sees a girl named Joan who attempted suicide after reading about Greenwood’s attempt  because she felt “inspired.”

       The doctor at this hospital connects to Greenwood on a very personal level, and promises that she will not give her the same electroshock therapy, but the right kind. Eventually, Greenwood is given insulin shock therapy and dramatically improves. She is then moved to a different facility.

       One day, Greenwood decides to go into town. While in town, she met a Harvard professor and soon after slept with him. However, Greenwood begins to bleed nonstop, and goes to Joan’s home for help and guidance.

       Joan rushed Greenwood to the hospital, and a few days later, Greenwood woke up in the middle of the night in the institution to be told that Joan committed suicide. .

       The book ends by Greenwood being given the choice of wanting to stay in the mental institution, or if she wanted to go home.

       I believe this book is truly a gem. Not often do writers write about their own lives, especially in such an honest manner. Plath even released this book under a pseudonym name because of how honest it was and how closely related it was to her own life.

A Ride With Barely Any Gas

Damian Gordon

Staff Writer

     The highly anticipated film Ride Along has finally hit theaters with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube together on screen for the first time. The story centers on Ben Barber (Hart) a small time security guard, who joins police officer James Payton (Cube), on a patrol of Atlanta to prove that he is worthy of marrying his sister. After watching the movie, it’s obvious that they should have replaced the ”ride“ with ”drag” in the title.

     The first half of the movie has Hart throwing line after line of jokes; that often miss their mark. Truthfully, it is just a platform for Kevin Hart…to play Kevin Hart. Luckily, other stars make an appearance in the supporting cast such as comedians Gary Owens, Jay Pharoah and rapper David Banner. They provide some memorable highlights, like a naked man covered in honey wrestling in a supermarket. Enough said.

     Ice Cube does not do much besides stand there, and scowl at Kevin Hart’s antics. There is a cringe worthy moment in the movie where Cube says, “Today was a good day”, a reference to his hit 90’s song. It would have been no surprise if Ice Cube took a mic out, then just rapped the rest of his record afterward.

     There is an interesting subplot involving James looking to takedown a crime kingpin called Omar. The story picks up halfway with a hilarious scene involving Kevin Hart and a shotgun. The chuckles turn into laughs as Hart slips in his comfort zone with psychical comedy.

     Cube plays the straight man throughout the film to Hart’s over-the-top performance, but their chemistry falls flat. Both actors felt as if they were in different movies or even reading different scripts. Chemistry is what carries these buddy cop films like Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys.

     Laurence Fishburn pokes his head in to play the villainous Omar, giving a sense of danger for the two heroes throughout the film. There is a chilling aura as Fishburn commands the screen with the little time he has on it. Expect anyone named thug one and two not make it to the end of the story.

     Ride Along does overstay its welcome, like a buddy’s stay on your couch for the night turning into months. Clocking in at 100 minutes, the film moves at a fast pace, yet feels like it is going nowhere even quicker. A saving grace is that Hart’s improvisation skills are the real star, especially since his costars look like they are about to break character by laughing along with the viewers.

     Ride Along is an entertaining movie for the most part, filled with bad sections that drag along at times. All of the films funniest scenes are in the trailer, which is disappointing considering it had so much promise. (Some of you) might want to miss this ride and wait until it comes to Netflix or television.

A Strike in Voting

Stephon Hall

Sports Editor

​

     The Baseball Writers Association of America rule this playground called integrity. A group of people left with determining who is qualified for Hall of Fame status without a hint of suggestive issues with Performance Enhancing Drugs (or PEDs for short) or “character issues” pertaining to an individual. Every year, Baseball writers submit a HOF ballot for their player of choosing and the player(s) must be in the 75th percentile in order to qualify. In an unprecedented grasp of surprise, one baseball writer decided for the good of America and said, to heck with morality and gave his vote to Deadspin, a sports website that isn’t like other traditional sports websites. Who on earth would commit such a gamble? Well, Dan LeBatard of ESPN (and, sometimes, the Miami Herald on a freelance basis) would make such a decision.

     He grew tired of votes for potential candidates like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling, for example getting jilted because of steroid use in the Major Leagues. I’m still astonished at the idea that Baseball, which benefitted from the home runs performances of Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa (Both players were pursuing Roger Maris’s 61 home runs in a season in which both of them broke with McGuire at 70 and Sosa at 66). That was back in 1998, for those of you wondering how long ago where we as fans or pundits didn’t care about supplements.

   
     Too much of sports, just like baseball, is placed in a cathedral, where every player must take some ridiculous oath to uphold a lot of the principles of the game that pertains to keep a level of pride and respect for the game by staying away from the “magic elixir” that we tarnish many players legacy for in favor of character shaming, because Ryan Braun let you down by taking that potion to keep playing at a high-level. But, players were taking “Greenies” to improve performances on the field and other forms of amphetamines. So, it’s fair to keep players we deem as jerks or “shamed” the game to a point where a particular Simpsons character utters “Will someone please think of the children” as an out for such debate? We didn’t mind it during the eras of Babe Ruth, Willie Mays or vice versa.

     I can’t give a poignant answer as to why, but, man, it’s all so curious as to why LeBatard did what he did by giving his vote away so that fans could have a say on who deserves this honor. I mean, Bob Costas, Vin Scully, Bill James and other baseball historians can’t even vote at all. Dan later regretted this decision when he became a significant part of the story as he first confirmed it on his television show “Highly Questionable.” ESPN and the Herald strayed away from his decision in separate statements.

     So, while his stance didn’t do anything but revoke his voting privileges, it was a brave attempt to shake up the BBWAA a little bit. Unfortunately, that fire didn’t grow rapidly enough for that organization to balk to a reporter who’s known for sports anarchy. Someday, this may change, but for now this is a “moral victory” for baseball writers and just the beginning for this interesting debate on who deserves voting power.

FL University's Sports Season (2013)

Bella Riccitelli

Staff Writer

     Universities throughout the state of Florida experienced lots of success this past season. During the 2013 season, schools such as Florida State University(FSU,) University of Central Florida(UCF) and University of Miami(UM) underwent loads of success.

Jameis Winston winning Heisman award

     FSU had lots of joy and pride flowing through their campus this year. One specific talented athlete is Jameis Winston. Winston, quarterback, won the Heisman Trophy Award. This college freshman also helped bring his team to the national championships. He also won the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) against the Auburn Tigers in early Jan. Although facing scandalous accusations this year, Winston is obviously not phased and continues to rise as a football player.

     Another noted athlete is Yashira “Cheetah” Delgado. This FSU senior is a guard for the women's basketball team and a talented one at that. Delgado is also named one out of 29 candidates for the Lieberman Award. Just standing 5’2, Delgado has made a name for herself in college sport history.

     UCF had their share of victories as well during the 2013 season. Attending the BCS bowl for the first time in history, the Knights brought home the winning title for their school against Baylor University. Quarterback Blake Bortles started making his way to the top during the 2013 football season. Bortles accepted a scholarship from UCF back in 2010 and shimmied his way up since then. After becoming a part of the Knights’ football team, Bortles, now a senior, has brought his team the best season to come. He has thrown nine interceptions and collected 25 touchdowns. Bortles has publically announced that he will be entering the 2014 NFL draft.

     Storm Johnson, running back for the Knights, is another football athlete that is making it big. Like his teammate Bortles, Johnson plans to enter the 2014 NFL draft. Johnson, candidate for the Doak Walker Award, has scored 14 touchdowns for his team.

     Football isn’t the only team that made news this past season. The men’s basketball team for UCF competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the American Athletic Conference. Additionally, both of Michael Jordan’s sons have played basketball at UCF.

     “I was filled with school pride when I attended UCF,” said Cathy Arminio. “I went to every game I could go to, basketball, football, you name it. I’m proud to see that the knights have come so far. They’re really stepping up to the plate in the sports universe.”

     The Miami Hurricanes have gone through an interesting year when it comes to sports. All though their football season this year wasn’t anything to write home about, the Hurricanes of UM still made headlines in the news world.

     Stephen Morris, quarterback, finished his football career by scoring 49 touchdowns and throwing 30 interceptions.

     “I went to UM a few years ago and I loved attending the football games,” said Rachel Hall. “The energy in the stadium during a football game there is incredible. It’s thrilling now, as a graduate, to see UM’s games on TV and to hear about their victories, and even sometimes losses. UM is a good school with amazing athletes."

     Through all of the ups and downs of the 2013 season, UM, FSU and UCF still have hope and pride stored within themselves.

Stephen Morris UM QB:

(Photo taken after a win against UF 21-16)

The Shadow Recruit's Mission Results

Stephon Hall

Sports Editor

     The newest installment of the Tom Clancy film, Shadow Recruit, is a reboot of sorts. Since 2002’s The Sum Of All Fears starring Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan, eventual attempts to bring back the series didn’t do as hoped for movie studio, Paramount.

     Sam Raimi, who once helmed the original Spider-Man film series from 2002-2007, was tapped to direct the newest installment to give his fresh take on the series, but nothing turned up, because he was working on a potential fourth Spider-Man film, which, we now know as The Amazing Spider-Man, sans all of the Raimi-isms. 

     Chris Pine, who plays Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies was on tap to be in the next version of this series in 2009, but had to commit to that film. Before Pine ever stepped foot into the shoes of the CIA fable, Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and the aforementioned Affleck portrayed the character. So how’s Pine in relation to his predecessors? Good enough for me. Frankly, I was surprised that he handled the weight of this person with care. I won’t say it was a transcending performance, but he was very good overall. 

     Some of the geopolitical stuff did go over my head a little and so did some of the book references, like when Jack and Cathy, played by Keira Knightley, meet for the first time, when Jack is recouping from his severe injuries from a plane accident in Afghanistan. When witnessing the rebirth of a high-profile character like Ryan, especially, when you haven’t read the books, confusion is to be expected when you’re trying to figure out this universe. 

     It wasn’t that the entire franchise was unfamiliar to me, I was just a little unaccustomed to some stuff here. The plot itself has to do with Ryan working in a covert role at a stock exchange in New York. His job is to keep tabs on financial transactions from various parts of the world to make sure that the system isn’t being gamed from someone on the outside. Then, it’s discovered that a geopolitical partner goes in a different direction from that of the United States, Ryan realizes that the money from Russia (yeah, they’re in the news, a lot, these days) is being hidden from plain site. It’s an interesting angle that I wish went further in the closing minutes of the film, but it did its job.

     Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Costner play important roles here, with Branagh (who also directed this film) playing Viktor Cheverin, the person in control of the funds, while Costner plays a father figure type to Ryan. 

     The acting is top-notch by entire cast. It’ll take time getting used to the actors playing these characters, if you haven’t followed the novels or  films, considering it took a while for this film to be developed, unfamiliarity is sure to be abound. It runs at a solid pace with some nice plot twists throughout the movie. In a time where the suspense genre needed something different, Shadow Recruit is the movie for you.

Allegiant delivers and more

Kyomarys Figueroa

Staff Writer

    Before you even begin skimming this article, be warned there will be spoilers.

   

     I have been anxiously anticipating Allegiant since sometime before the summer began. Counting down the days, until the finality of Tobias and Tris's love story and the issues they faced with their factions came to a close. I definitely did not expect how the book turned out. 

     

     

In Insurgent the ending was the aftermath of what you could call a "Civil War" between the factionless and the Erudite's and those who wanted to maintain the faction system. 

     

     The factions were astonished with new information left by Edith Prior, Tris's grandmother. It was a video displaying horrifying images of what the world was before the factions were placed inside of a dystopian Chicago. The purpose of

creating the factions was to purify society and once they were ready they were to open the gates and go beyond their world and help the people on the outside. 

     

     Now we fast forward to Allegiant where Tobias's mother, Evelyn Eaton with a massive factionless army, has the city under control enforcing the fact that they were going to rebuild the city without factions and not go to the outside. However, that does not stop a secret group named Allegiant from forming to send at least a small group to the outside to inquire as to what is going on. 

     

     The group includes: Tris and Tobias and some of the other minor characters seen throughout the books. Once they reach the outside they are surprised and confused by new information: the factions are an experiment, an attempt to control and divide populations.

     

     This is where conflict arises. Tris's and Tobias's relationship is tested. Tris and Tobias have always believed being Divergent signifies they're special, however, that is not the case it just simply means that their genes are good. Divergence was viewed as this special ability and special power but in all reality it just meant they were designed the correct way. 

     

     The scientist from the outside ask Tris and Tobias to get tested to analyze and examine their chromosomes, which reveals that Tobias although shows Divergent characteristics, is as damaged as the rest of  them, causing him to question himself and everything around him. 

     

     It was unnerving to see Tobias go from a self-assured, masculine man to practically a boy, questioning everything he has over known over some damaged genes. All this puts a strain on his relationship with Tris and everyone else. 

     

     Tris flourishes in this book unlike Tobias, she takes all this information easier. Her voice becomes firm and her leadership skills become evident. 

     

     This causes her to rebel against the outside when she learns they're are planning on destroying Chicago by implanting the memory serum, which would cause them to forget everything, because the factionless lead by Evelyn and the Allegiant lead by Marcus and Johanna might begin another war. She formulates another solution with the help of Tobias and her friends. She was going to spread the memory serum to those in charge on the outside and rebuild the system entirely. 

     

     She accomplished her mission, but her life paid the price. Yes, Veronica Roth killed Tris. I cried when I read the certitude of Tris’s life. She wasn’t even killed by the death serum that protected the memory serum from begin touched, she was killed by a bullet. I went through multiple emotions, I cannot believe Tobias has to live without Tris. After her death, part of me hoped Roth was playing a practical joke and Tris was going to wake up from her deep slumber, by a kiss from her beloved Tobias. No, she is dead.

     

     I haven’t been this affect by a character death since Finnick in the Hunger Games. It has been a week since I finished one of my favorite trilogies and I still do not know how to feel about the way it ended. I encourage everyone to read it, because regardless of the heart wrenching ending, Roth is an incredible writer. She gave depth to her character in her final novel, focusing more on their emotions then the action and war surrounding them.

     

     My final thoughts is that Theo James, the actor portraying Tobias in the Divergent film will have his work cut out for him when the final movie is shot. He not only have to be heart broken and utterly destroyed for his character, but the millions of fans that will forever mourn Tris Prior’s death.

Lose Your Breath with Gravity

Juliana Betancourt

Staff Writer

     Director Alfonso Cuarόn, known for directing the third Harry Potter installment, has created another astounding film. Gravity is a sci-fi/drama/thriller all rolled into an experience that leaves the viewer breathless from beginning to end. 

     The film opens up with Dr. Ryan Stone, medical engineer, played by Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) and Matt Kowalski, veteran astronaut, played by George Clooney (Ocean’s Thirteen) servicing the Hubble Space telescope. Within minutes of banter exchanged between Kowalski and Mission Control, appropriately voiced by

Ed Harris (Apollo 13) disaster strikes. Their mission is aborted when they are caught in the orbit of Russian satellite debris hurtling at high speeds.

     Unfortunately, the debris kills all crew members but Stone and Kowalski, who have lost communication with Mission Control. All too soon, they are separated after a bump in the wrong direction sends Stone floating off into space. 

     Eventually they reunite and their new mission becomes making their way to the International Space Station (ISS). Stone becomes frantic with her rapidly depleting oxygen supply.

     Upon reaching the ISS, the two lone astronauts spend an agonizing few minutes bumping along while flailing for anchorage. Disaster finds them again when their tether is broken sending them into another heart-stopping struggle to regain stability.

     The struggle unfortunately ends when they are hanging on to dear life by a loose parachute chord around Stone’s leg, barely keeping them steady. Kowalski makes a selfless decision to unhook himself, allowing Stone to survive.

     Now completely shaken and on her own, Stone boards the ISS. The objective is to use the Soyuz module to hitch a ride to the Chinese Space station, Tiangong, to then take another module to Earth.

     She has yet to deal with tangled parachute cables, a fire, a return of the high-speed debris and her own lack of will to persevere. Whether or not she overcomes these adversities is better off discovered via watching the film.

     Many interesting themes were brought up. A big one was that of adversity and its constant presence throughout the film. The debris makes its rounds more than once, amongst other predicaments that Stone encountered. This could be an allusion to adversity in one’s life.

     Another theme was that of fear. The fears of being alone, forgotten, helpless, in the dark and death can easily shake an individual to their core. Outer space was a very appropriate setting to embody these very basic fears.

     In a brief scene after Stone boards the ISS, she removes her suit, and takes a moment in front of a large porthole window to just float in a fetal position. Her silhouette along with that of a chord-like rope floating behind her was very reminiscent of a fetus in the womb. Perhaps this scene suggested something in regards to rebirth.

     A final theme noted in the film was the role of religion. On board the Soyuz module, the focus was shifted to a card with the image of St. Christopher, a Catholic patron saint of travelers. On board the Tiangong module, a statue of the Buddha was also given a few seconds of focus, maybe implying a metaphor for the combatting of fear with religion.

     Kowalski’s character provides an excellent contrast to that of Stone’s raw depiction of being human and afraid. His assuredness and instruction acts as Stone’s inner voice of reason. The lack of other characters and Kowalski’s early exit allows audience to focus on Stone’s character development throughout this journey.

     Very important aspects of this film were the visuals and music. The images of Earth and lighting from the sun make for very stunning scenery. The technical detail and special effects of the space stations and the debris collisions were also out of this world, no pun intended.

     The music added to the intensity of the film during climactic moments. Whereas the abrupt silence following these musical build-ups created a very realistic ambiance for soundless space.

     The point of view in the movie was also crucial. While Stone is first bumped into open space we hear her muffled and frantic voice. We are then taken into her helmet seeing what she sees, and hearing her ragged breaths; even going as far as seeing the vapor on the glass, giving us perspective with her situation.

     This film is definitely one for the books. The experience that it provides is one that will leave you feeling like your own tank of oxygen.

Football: Turning Players Brains Into Mush Since 2002

Stephon Hall

Sports Editor 

     Football, the new American pastime is a spectacle of big hits and big plays that is watched on Sundays, Mondays & Thursday for our perusal. We all appreciate the impact of how these men bludgeon one another for a shot at the Vince Lombardi trophy every year in what can be considered our new form of Gladiator, except it’s not set in Rome. Alas, once all of the fun and games of tackle become serious, our collective jubilation turns into dread, once a player is lying motionless on the field from head-to-head contact. Some of the head injuries maybe minor and other could be serious. The average force two human beings colliding with one another is at 100 gravity forces (or G-forces), that more than a car accident, shuttle launches or spinning your body in circles. The NFL recently dealt with a $765 Million settlement on concussions with former players that who are dealing with symptoms from head injuries with $10 million going to research and education for concussion research; but, in the ever-ferocious game of football, progress is only plentiful when many are impacted by the symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (or CTE). While we adore the big plays, despise that crushing interception from a quarterback on your football team, getting hit is just part of the story, but it’s what’s underneath that is putting some of the legends of the game in a world of pain.  

     

     First one, one of the issues that the NFL is dealing with is the neurodegenerative disease CTE, which is connected to memory loss, aggression, confusion from many hits to the head. CTE is usually caused with concussions from impact from explosions, head injuries and other irregularities. Once the brain goes through that impact, tau protein is accumulated from lots of brain hits. The more the brain goes through these traumas, the more its

degenerates. Being that the mind is the motor of the body, collisions affect coordination and balance. Before the NFL (also the NCAA & public schools) got proactive on concussions, there were no doctors on the sidelines to check for head contusions, just only for possible injuries for hands, knees, stomach, etc. The brain has never been treated as seriously until now, due to a big lawsuit and a large group of former athletes that made this happen.

     Masculinity is to blame for a lot of this, especially, since, those with nagging headaches used to hide the condition for the good of team and being emasculated for admitting said injury to the press. And, if that information were to be reported upon, fans would belittle player and proceed to call him “soft” and other suggestive words. Football has always promoted its game with such overwrought grandeur without the mentions of numerous problems the game can lead on such a mortal spirit that is the human anatomy. Luckily, the game has progressed along to the point that admitting a problem is ok.

     In closing, WGBH’s FRONTLINE aired a special episode called “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis” Tuesday, October 8th on WPBT channel 2 at 9pm. You can also catch it online at PBS.org/FRONTLINE if you managed to missed it on television. The season premiere spanned over two hours and promises to deliver a comprehensive study into head injuries and the pain these players have went through daily. 

AHS: Coven in Full Swing

Kyomarys Figueroa

Staff Writer

     The next episode of American Horror Story: Coven, cannot come soon enough. As an advent AHS fan, I can definitely deduce from the first episode that this season will surpass the first two seasons. Especially, after last season. Additionally, the opening sequence cannot compare to the others, it is by far the creepiest, filled with

images of the Klan. It’ll make you cringe, but that’s what we’re there for. 

     The return of first season cast members was a welcomed surprise. Frances Conroy, whom in the original season portrayed an ageless housekeeper and angel of death, now returns as the peculiar Myrtle who is head of the Witches Council. Jamie Brewer, who was Adelaide in season one, a mentally handicapped but cunning young woman.

She is now the intelligent and clairvoyant witch called Nan. And the performer I was most thrilled to see back: Taissa Farmiga. The actress also sat out last season, however, she is back as Zoe Benson the witch with the ability to turn any man into a bloody, leaking mush for brains mess with her genitals.

     The other returning actresses whose characters have a dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship are Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson. Lange is three for three, she has appeared on all seasons of AHS. Each time coming back as a more demented and twisted character then the last, this season she is Fiona, the supreme witch consumed with maintaing her youth. Paulson, last season on AHS: Asylum was the lesbian journalist, institutionalized against her will. This season she is Cordelia Foxx, a witch, researcher and the head mistress of Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, that focuses on teaching young witches to control their powers and keep hidden from the judgmental, modern day society.

     AHS: Coven, begins in 1834 New Orleans with Madame Lalaurie (Kathy Bates), another witch ardent on holding on to her youth. Who gets her poison to preserve her youth, from mutilating and torturing slaves. The story line then shifts into modern day New Orleans, showing Zoe Benson being introduced to the Coven. Aside from the head mistress and Nan, the other two residents are Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) the “human voodoo doll,” and the vixen Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) an actress turned witch with the power of telekinesis.

     I applaud creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk who are not afraid to push the envelope and tackle any topic. I am curious to see how the witches develop their crafts individually, how Fiona and Cordelia get along, and what mystical and dark duals the witches encounter. The femmes fatales of this show will absolutely make this season interesting and keep everyone on their toes. Catch it on FX every Wednesday at 10 p.m.!