Kim Kardashian: Celebrity or Superwoman?

By: Mary Kiser

Not all heroes wear capes.

Courtesy of the ‘Los Angeles Times’

October 3, 2016 at 4:30 a.m. changed Kim Kardashian’s life forever.

She was robbed at gunpoint by two Frenchmen; they stole millions of dollars in jewelry, but not before they traumatized the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star. “They grabbed me and took me into the hallway. I was wearing a bathrobe, naked underneath. Then we went into the room again and they pushed me on the bed. And, it was this time, they tied me up with plastic cables and taped my hands, then they put tape over my mouth and my legs,” she recalls.

She was worried the men were going to rape and kill her, and she thought about the impact her death would have on her family and friends. If she had passed away, she just wanted her loved ones to be okay. She was worried they would be traumatized by the aftermath of the heist. “‘I have a split second in my mind to make this quick decision,’ she recalls. ‘Am I going to run down the stairs and be shot in the back? It makes me so upset to think about it,’” she explains.

Her haunting experience was a wake-up call to not just the Kardashian and Jenner clans, but to men and women across the globe. Her story of survival was a poignant reminder of how people, no matter their status, were never exempt from the horrors of the world.

The newest season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians showed the doyenne talking about the robbery for the first time. She chose to air her trauma in a fashion fit for a Kardashian – cameos. She recollected what she remembers of her experience, and fans felt like they were listening to their friend, and not a lofty celebrity.

While her raw and visceral portrayal of the story helped her heal, she wanted to help others heal, too.

“I took a tragic, horrific experience, and I didn’t let it diminish me; I grew and evolved and allowed the experience to teach me,” she tweets.

Her brutal honesty was like a breath of fresh air; she was talking about the severity of her trauma, and she was talking about her emotions during and after the incident. However, she was doing more than just speaking about her story.

She indirectly gave a voice to every trauma survivor suffering in silence, and she used her voice to let them know that they’re not alone.

Kardashian’s world stopped spinning on October 3, 2016, at 4:30 a.m., but she made her world spin, anyway. Not all superwomen wear capes.   

President Trump’s Wall Won’t Work

By: Mary Kiser


During President Trump’s candidacy, his immigration-reform plans involved construction. Now that he’s Commander-in-Chief, his plans haven’t changed. Other political leaders aren’t as enthusiastic as him, though. An NBC News article reads, “An upcoming meeting between Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and President Donald Trump has been scrapped in the wake of a fiery spat over which nation will pay for a border wall between the two countries.” President Nieto and his country are offended. I don’t blame them. President Trump’s wall reaches beyond border control: it exemplifies the worst of American culture.

While I appreciate the workaholic within President Trump, I can’t appreciate him. He exerts effort into all the wrong projects, and it always backfires – on the working class. Instead of worrying about crowd sizes and walls, he should shift his focus. He’s not a business mogul anymore. He’s the 45^th President of the United States.

The Donald and His Groupies

By: Mary Kiser

His defunct shtick is this election's dark comedy.

bing.com

Trump and the media are in an extramarital affair alien to his wife, campaign, and posse. Their newest bundle of press swathed in the same worn, threadbare cloth of misogynistic contempt is breaking cables across the country. If only money could buy his progeny some subsistence versus microscopic attention. Too bad Tiffany and Co. can only sell his wife artificial apologies in the form of necklaces and rings.

Even though Donald and broadcasts are witness to the births of his racist, sexist, and xenophobic comments, slurs, and mannerisms, these repulsive scions only affirm the demagogue's sordid legacy. However, the 2005 audio clip really is the return of his prodigal son. The television trumpets, and the world is in ears. Even though those comments are eleven years young, the video shows the stability of Trump's abhorrent viewpoints. At that solid age of fifty-nine, Trump proves that an adolescent carries more respect and regard for his female classmates, friends, and family members. Unfortunately, he riles the crowd, and his fans cheer in unison. As a sister, daughter, and woman, I will never comprehend the trend that is Donald Trump. He is a husband. He is a father. He is a grandfather. He should not run for president. He should run to therapy.

If anyone would like to learn more about this topic, then click on the link below.

Source:

"These Might Be Donald Trump's Most Disgusting Comments Yet About Women" by Paige Lavender

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-women-comments_us_57f8016de4b0e655eab4148d





Keith Lamont Scott

By: Mary Kiser

 His life, now a grave, at the arms of an officer.

Hinterland Gazette

Rakeyia Scott is not some random witness to a black man shot. She is the wife behind the lens, and the witness to her husband's death. Racial tension lurks in between the crevices of everyday life, and police brutality is a pressing concern throughout the United States. This article is not a rant about guns, the NRA, or even the men and women in blue. This article is about a father and a husband who should be at home with his family. Instead, his body resides in a morgue.

"Don't shoot him. Don't shoot him!"

 You can hear the pleas in Mrs. Scott's voice. She can feel the energy, and she can sense the ineluctable. She knows that her husband is in danger. She knows that her love faces an unjustifiable death penalty. Credible evidence is viewable evidence, and Mrs. Scott records for the jury that is the American public. From my perspective, I did not see Scott in arms. Instead, I see Scott on the ground as an invasion of officers swarm his corpse.

Skin color should not determine whether someone lives or dies. Scott should still be alive. He should still have breath in his lungs and movement through his veins. His children should still have their daddy. His wife should still have her best friend. Barrels of lead are bullets for the dangerous, but some people do not carry the moral capacity of the badge. The African American community has to overcome yet again the incapable and/or racist men and women who wear the uniform but not the valor.

Humans are not gods. We do not decide who dies and who flies. This will always be a problem if accountability is never at court. Policemen are here to protect America. They are here to serve justice, not violate it. The Scott family deserves equity, and I know that most of America would vote in agreement. Black lives deserve an answer for this 21st century blunder. Unfortunately, these cops cannot testify with a reasonable one.

If anyone would like to view the video, or read more about this shooting, please visit the source below.

Source:

"Police Say Video Shows Keith Lamont Scott Had Gun in Hand" by Winsor: http://abcnews.go.com/US/definitive-visual-evidence-cop-shooting-keith-lamont-scott/story?id=42275887

Mike Pence versus Tim Kaine

By: Mary Kiser

A brief on their pros.

The focus is always on Clinton or Trump. Health scares, winded speeches, and shock create this soap opera of a presidential election. Where are Pence and Kaine in the midst of all this slipshod drama? Both seem to be like placid bats in some soundproof cave off the Coast of Kardashian-kin Island. Some people might not even know who these two men are, and why they are so important. Don’t worry, though. This is the article to read.

Trump chooses Pence to be his vice president if he wins this election, and Clinton chooses Kaine as her vice president if she beats Trump to those 270 votes. Both are white males, but other than race and gender, these two hopefuls have little in common. Kaine is a Virginian Senator who, according to Clinton, has “devoted his life to fighting for others.” What does that mean? It means that Kaine is a man of many titles. He is a missionary, civil rights lawyer, teacher, and elected official. Plus, he is only one of thirty people to serve as Mayor, Governor, and Senator in the United States. His resume seems impressive enough, but what about his policies? Policies are the real skin and bones to his allure. On his website, anyone can read that he helps veterans with employment, wants diplomatic unity with foreign countries, advocates for newbie graduates and their careers, stresses the issue of sexual violence, increases research for children with cancer, and promotes the use of vital overdose medications. These are only a few of his passions on legislative paper, and even though he is not in the media often, that is probably an asset for the Clinton campaign.

Pence is the other vice-president-in-campaigning. Like Trump, he has an affair with the spotlight albeit a very narrow and dimly lit one. He is the star of “The Mike Pence Show,” but the broadcast is now a part of 20^th century history. However, he wins a Congressional seat in the year 2000, and he did display bipartisan views. He opposes Bush’s No Child Left Behind, and he is praised for his unwavering stances. One of his best accomplishments came alive in 2013 with a “$1.1 billion give-back” that proves to be the “largest tax cut in state history.” Even though Pence is very conservative, he does possess some shiny trophies that the Republican Party can polish and shine.

Whether a vote is cast for Trump or Clinton, remember that the vote will also be cast for their respective V.P. picks. If death, disease, or impeachment is to happen to either one, then either Pence or Kaine will assume the Commander-in-Chief position. Know their background, policies, and viewpoints. Think about not what they do for themselves, but what they do for the American people. The president is only as powerful as her running mate.

Sources:

Tim Kaine website: http://www.kaine.senate.gov/about

Hillary Clinton selects Tim Kaine as her running mate: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/22/politics/hillary-clinton-vp-pick/

Mike Pence website: http://www.biography.com/people/mike-pence-071416

LOTSA LIP LULU

Journal Entry 111

By: Lori Zeth

September 1, 2016

My English professor's latest assignment was to write an essay that explains my thoughts about reading other essays about writing. We read several articles and passages about how to write, writing in college vs. high school, how to ramble on for five hundred words without ever saying much, taking different approaches than the mainstream would take, and much more. So, I am to write an essay about reading essays that discuss writing essays? I have to chuckle; and why wouldn't I? The irony is hilarious.

 Although I did learn a lot of new (to me) information, my favorite is that people do not write the way they speak. Inexperienced writers will write all chaotic and hardly make any sense at all. I would rather use language that every person in the universe would understand, and sound "dumb" than use language that doesn't support my personal voice. I enjoy words, speaking, writing, reading, and even listening. I wouldn't enjoy hearing or reading something I couldn't understand. I prefer to understand and relate to the text I am reading. If I am writing something, obviously, I want my readers to understand what they are reading.

I truly enjoyed Ken Macrorie's article, "The Poisoned Fish" from his book Telling Writing. I can relate to his opinions and views. I find myself judging people for several reasons, but mainly because they just look like idiots when they do not put any effort into their projects – work or play. People are lazy and either do not have a passion for writing (or speaking), or they are just uneducated. I feel sympathy for those that do not have the proper education and training to read, write – hell, people can't stop texting long enough to walk a straight line – or speak grammatically correct. I am not a know-it-all but I cringe when people just ramble, not making any sense at all. I wouldn't want to talk like I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground. I wouldn't want someone else looking at me like I am an idiot. I know what I think when I'm judging someone. My own personal judgment toward others has motivated me not to be a cookie-cutter, in a dough-filled world.

 

 

Why Voting Third Party Isn’t a Wasted Vote

By: Cheyenne Abrams

There are things every person looks forward to doing as they become an adult: buying a car, turning 18, moving away from their parents, college, and….registering to vote. I was blessed with the best government teacher (Thanks for everything, Weibling!) who made it an actual homework assignment for us to register to vote by the end of our senior year. Mr. Weibling made it a point to us that we all have our own beliefs, and that it is okay to have different stances on things; however if we didn’t go out and use our voice to push our beliefs, then having them would be a waste. Having a teacher who made our vote seem so important made me not want to let him down.

Fast forward a year and we are closing in on the 2016 presidential election. Given three nominees (Yes, there are three!) I want my voice to be heard, and my vote to mean something. This is why my vote is not a “waste”.

Let’s start off with who I’m voting for: Gary Johnson, previous governor of New Mexico, Entrepreneur and Businessman. He cut his taxes 14 times while in office, and gave his state a balanced budget before leaving office – just as a little background! This isn’t an article about the third party candidate, but if you want to know more read about him here: 

http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/22377/gary-johnson?gclid=CJ7awKG3ks4CFVVahgodUsQPXg#.V5gGL7grLIU

The only vote wasted is a vote that wasn’t made. Making a third party vote is my chance to tell the world that this is what I want the government/country looking like, and this is who I want representing it.

Unfortunately, we live in a “two party society” where we vote for “who won’t be as bad.” Newsflash – A lesser of two evils is still evil. Voting for something that you don’t believe in only continues to let that thing happen; how much sense does that make?

Look at it this way: If you had to choose between Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger as the Joker, we would all choose Heath Ledger; but in the end, they are still disenfranchised clowns.

Now, for those who don’t know, we’re not actually choosing who wins. When we vote, it tells everyone else who to elect as president, who we think the best choice for our country is, and that is who is elected. When we just vote for the one that ‘is not as bad’ when we can be voting for someone who stands by a party that has been proven successful before, it leaves our country is a spinning mess.

Now, if you’re voting for Hillary, and you think that is the best choice for you morally, then I say go for it, and I will see you at the polls! (Then politely, yet firmly, ask you to leave.)

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand standing by your party, but when your party strays away from your moral compass, why can’t you change your path?

Our country has been blessed with God Given Rights, no matter how we choose to use those rights. Using them is what matters -- we should be grateful that we have them, and not let them go to waste! Let’s make a difference, let’s vote for who we need, let’s make America sane again.

 

 

A Statement That Has Nothing to Do With Fashion: France and the Burkini

By: Mary Kiser

I always thought France was more socially advanced than the U.S. During the 60's, Women would go topless to support newfound liberation, and that movement became a fashion trend that only started to decline in 2009. Even though America has nude beaches, France did it first.
 

A few days ago, France was again the topic of every news station. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because of their innovation and determination as a nation tenacious. A picture on MSNBC displayed three police officers forcing a woman to shed her burkini. The image is a much different canvas than the one portrayed in the 20^th century. This photo sent cold shivers down my back, and my mind flashed to a much different time in a not-so-different country: the 60’s. Racism, police brutality, and another type of movement were the children of hardship that protested America’s change for an equal nation.

 

Photo Credit: Vantage News/CNN



Photo Credit: Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York

Burkini bathing suits are the opposite fashion wear of bikini-buyers. The suit literally covers a woman's entire body, and it's to protect their modesty derived from Islam. This shouldn't be a problem, but because of several ISIS attacks, concocted by radical Muslims, France is now governing out of fear. It's understandable, but that doesn’t make it credible.

America has done this too, and because of her fear, she decided to create internment camps for Japanese-Americans, bred and nurtured racism and sexism, and let George W. Bush lead American soldiers to die in pointless wars. The U.S. learned from those mistakes, and those three did create positive change, but upward mobility doesn’t always have to be at the graves of human lives.

Hopefully, France won’t have to suffer inevitable consequences like the U.S. Maybe positive change, too, can come from unnecessary, targeted persecution. However, there’s a reason why FDR believed that fear was the only fear, because if it does drive the bus, then all passengers are at high risk for injury or death. Franklin would know; The Great Depression took thousands of lives, starved women and children, and devoured American wealth. If anybody had advice on how to deal with the perils of fear, he did.

 

Sources:

http://www.thelocal.fr/20140729/why-topless-french-women-are-covering-up

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/france-and-burkini-ban-controversy/article9035712.ece

The Infamous Ex of Texas: Planned Parenthood

By: Mary Kiser

The real reason Texas doesn't like health clinics, and it has nothing to do with abortion.

Texas is a very conservative state, so conservative values are not but two steps beside it. Church and the Dallas Cowboys seem to be more important than hot topics like basic health coverage for low-income residents. Since Planned Parenthood provides safe and aseptic abortions, which only account for three percent of their services, Texan law officials decided that the small percentage was a little too much hoedown for their Lone Star State. At least, that's how it appeared on television.

If Hillary and Donald have only proven one idea true, then it's the idea that all politicians are shady to some degree.  Some Texas politicians, in this case, can serve Texan-size shade that can almost overshadow Twitter-size shade. The ugly truth behind the reason to defund Planned Parenthood is not even abortion; it's race.

breitbart.com

teaparty.org



Even though birth rates have spiked due to an absence of   inexpensive birth control, and morbidity rates of pregnant women have spiked after the absence of Planned Parenthood, these facts aren't because Texas law officials hate pro-choice and extra alternatives. In Krugman's "States of Cruelty," he poses a provoking question for his readers: "If Washington is willing to provide health insurance to many of your state's residents — and in doing so pump dollars into your state's economy — why wouldn't you say yes?"

Unfortunately, a main reason is because nonwhite citizens heavily outweigh white citizens for Medicaid assistance. Greed is a visible monster that plagues the selfish, and there are white Americans who only want to help white Americans. Everyone who reads this article should be thankful for what they have, even if it's not much. Remember that there's some woman who can't receive proper medical treatment for herself or her child because of voters who have a disregard for nonwhite Americans and/or people in poverty.

If anyone wants to learn more about Texas, Planned Parenthood, and their estrangement, then below are some beneficial websites to visit.

Sources:

"States of Cruelty" by Krugman: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/29/opinion/states-of-cruelty.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

"After Texas stopped funding Planned Parenthood, low-income women had more babies" by Netburn: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/

"Maternal mortality rates in Texas doubled after state cut funding to Planned Parenthood" by WITW Staff: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/08/19/maternal-mortality-rates-in-texas-doubled-after-state-cut-funding-to-planned-parenthood/

 

 

 

 

Letter to the Editor

Camps in America

By: Mary Kiser

Most people try not to repeat their mistakes. If someone lies, then that person will apologize, and make a mental note to try and entertain the truth. History is what the future depends on, and what Americans can reflect on when making a decision. Unfortunately, major events in history are liable to be repeated.

Some Americans don't know that the United States built internment camps after Pearl Harbor. Japanese-Americans were prisoners in these camps for no reason other than fear and sore entitlement. In Colorado, Camp Amache comprised of 7,300 internees, and this is parallel to the concentration camps that were constructed across Europe; the detained were gypsies, the Polish, Russians, and Jewish persons. These displaced persons experienced unfathomable horror; everything from malnourishment to excruciating labor to death were everyday occurrences.

Americans forget the torture, the pain, and the suffering from home and abroad. And now, Donald Trump is resurrecting the same ancient, failed, and inhumane practices with his idiotic and beyond outdated ideas. He believes that the U.S. needs to create a database of Syrian refugees and incessant surveillance on mosques. For him to even suggest these outlandish ideas should rift him from possible presidency. But he's seen as this hipster politician that defies the rules and regulations set for candidates. His buzz isn't loud; it's obnoxious and dangerous. Conservative Republicans need to quit viewing him as a pesky mosquito that sometimes draws bad blood; he's a Wasp with a Waspy facade.

With an Excruciating Rotten Tomatoes Rating of 29

By: Terry Beyer

With an excruciating Rotten Tomatoes rating of 29, many began reading Batman vs. Superman its last rites before the doors even opened. I think these same critics would walk out on a Cary Grant classic because it had too many one liners or call Clint Eastwood a cliché tough guy. Walking into this movie a week after it came out, I was too busy hiding from spoilers on Facebook to build too much anticipation. Sitting mid theater with a large bucket of popcorn and collectible Bats Vs Sup's cup (I sprung for the extra 70 cents), I wanted only 3 things:

One: Batman and Superman to square off, see who can take and give a hit.

Two: No long drawn out origin story.

Three: Wonder Woman to join the party and not need the boys to fight her fights

Walking out, and keeping spoilers to a minimum, I was not disappointed. No one goes to see Batman Vs. Superman expecting a deep plot, relatable characters and emotional attachment (apart from special effects induced adrenaline, but hey I don't do roller coasters, gotta get it somewhere). I didn't want clean cut superheroes, fighting for justice and mankind. No! I wanted to see personal vendettas, human nature, and our heroes get a bit flustered. What's more, this movie opened the door to the DC universe that promised a darker superhero conglomeration, with a little grit and no small amount of awesome. As I sign off to go watch Arsenic and Old Lace (seriously, great movie, Cary Grant and Theodore Roosevelt make a great team), I tell you to go watch Batman Vs Superman and expect to see a superpowered face-off. You won't be disappointed. Take a skeptic with you. The extra 70 cents for the collector’s cup is worth it.
   

Requiem for a Dream

By: Mary Kiser

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This movie reminds me of The Weeknd's Trilogy. It reflects the short Heaven and bitter Hell of drug use; it's the diesel in the needle that shoots you to the moon and back, and it's why Darren Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors. He's like a baker making a cake, combining all the necessary ingredients in order to make it both delicious and addicting. The movie is made with brilliant acting credited to Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans. They, along with powerful music that envelops the characters throughout the highs and lows of their usage, portray the "deviled" experience that junkies and tweakers can relate to all too well and ill.

If the "Just Say No" program doesn't work for you, I highly recommend this movie. It doesn't glamorize drugs and the users; instead, what seems like a promising painting, is smeared with the hard and harrowing facts of what continued pill-popping, dope-snorting, and needle-injecting can do to a person, and how it transforms them into a person they don't even recognize.

 

Donald Duck

By: Mary Kiser

         

               When I turn on the television, and I see something Donald Trump related, I always turn up the volume and get a case of beer ready. From his fake birth certificate to his radical rants concerning Muslim-Americans and terrorism, Mr. Trump has proven himself to be the biggest quack out of all the remaining 2016 GOP candidates. His lack of empathy and insight are only drops in a bucket compared to his absence of moral code and character. He says whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and to whomever he wants. A paragon would be when he mocked Serge Kovaleski’s physical condition, known as arthrogryposis, in front of a rally in our very own southern-charm state of S.C., where several people in the video’s background appear to be laughing at his cruel insensitivity.

          Personally, I don’t think Donald Trump is this evil force who is secretly plotting the downfall of American civilization; however, I do think that he is a shining example of the playground bully who never learned his lesson because he’s always known how to play the game. And as much as I disdain any and all things Trump related, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he receives the 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination. I’d love to see him compete against (hopefully) Hillary Clinton. Even though America can’t always count on a reliable, reflective, and reserved Republican nominee, it always gets its ass. And I’m not referring to the Democrat.

Card Games for Everyone

By Levena Lindahl

Have you ever wondered what all of those card game are that people are playing at the tables in the 410 building?  Here is a quick introduction to a few of the games you might be seeing!

As the biggest card game around, Magic the Gathering is likely one of the games you will see being played.  Created in 1993, the collectible trading card game is still going strong, with new expansions and sets coming out on a regular basis.  The set out now is dealing with the monstrous Eldrazi, colorless creatures bent on destruction.   The cards have six colors, colorless/artifact, red, blue, black, green, and white, and each color has a different play style.  Blue is control, red is burn, green is all about big monsters, white is protection and life gain, and black is death touch. The basic card types are creatures, land, instants and sorceries.  It’s really interesting to see how the cards interact and how you can build a deck that fits your unique play style.  Local game stores host Friday Night Magic if this seems like a game you would be interested in.  There are also big tournaments that are held for top players, where there are pretty impressive prizes!

 

A newer card game that has come out is Force of Will.  This game is also done on a color system like magic but instead of just colors, each color represents a type, like light or darkness and the like, but the characters in this game are based around historical, fantasy, and mythological figures as they battle for supremacy at the summons of Gods and Demons.  Here the basic card types are rulers, J-rulers, resonators, spells, addition, and magic stones.  Each type has interactions with the others, and makes for a quick playing style.  While new, this game is becoming very popular!

 

Card games have always been popular as a way to get together and have fun.  These are just two of many kinds and styles of card games; if these seem interesting, I recommend checking them and others out!

 

 

 

Your Opinion Matters!

By: Mary Kiser

 

       On November 4, 2008, the first African-American president was elected into the White House. This was, and still is, one of the greatest feats against racism that the United States had ever experienced. President Barack Obama was on a mission to save this country from what could’ve resulted in a second Depression and the constant iron grip of the Iraq War. During his time in office, he has accumulated more than several achievements to showcase for it. He signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” increased the 2010-2011 Department of Veterans Affairs budget by at least ten percent, and signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act in 2009. These are only a few out of at least fifty accomplishments that he and his team have made possible during his first and second terms.

     However, another man or possibly a woman will resume the presidency with (hopefully) even more vigor, verve, and vivacity than the U.S. and its’ citizens have ever seen before. Either he or she will be responsible for our country’s next phase of development. But before President Obama becomes the lame duck, somebody else will have to succeed him. And that’s where you come in.

     Don’t just sit, wait, and sit some more while you can still apply for it. Get your Voter ID! It’s not only important but absolutely essential if you want to be able to vote for your favorite politician in the upcoming 2016 Presidential Election. After all, if you weren’t a fan of President Obama’s policies, then what better way to prove it by voting for somebody completely different? If you think that your vote doesn’t matter because you’re too young, party too much, or are too lazy, you’re wrong. It does matter, and sometimes it can take just one vote to make the difference. If you’re still not convinced, look up the 1876 Presidential Election.

 

Books that Change the World

By: Levena Lindahl

         

   September is National Literacy Month!  I thought I would share with you one of my favorite books, and at the end of the month give you a list of reading recommendations in a variety of genres to look at and enjoy during the break between semesters.          

I am sure everyone has the one favorite book, the one that just changed things for you.  I have had a few of those over the years, from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card when I was in high school, to Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville when I was in elementary.  However, the book that still racks as one of my all-time favorites would have to be Imajica by Clive Barker, which I was introduced to in 2008, when I was first in college. 

            Imajica is not a book for the faint of heart, as it is nearly 1000 pages long.  It is a fantasy epic, based on the journey of a man named Gentle, his companion Pie, and his friend Judith.  There are planes of existence called the Dominions, and Earth is in the farthest Dominion, meaning magic here is very weak and hardly usable.  The closer a person gets to the center, the more powerful the magic gets.  There are many forces at work throughout the book, all trying to bring about the Reconciliation, which would reconnect the Dominions.  

            There are so many layers to this book.  There is the journey, there is a romance aspect, and there is magic.  There is also a really interesting parallel history and religion between the dominions and Earth, which I really loved.  The story just flows, and every time I read it I notice something new.  I read it at least once every year, and that is because even though I know where the story ends, I still fall in love with the journey every time.  To give a hint of how deeply this book moved me, I will quote one of my favorite lines from the novel; “I love you, I will love you until the death of love.” 

Fandom: What it is to me and how it has followed me through college?

By: Levena Lindahl

Fandom has gotten a bad rap over the years, and most people see it as something bad, full of nerds, or full of angry people demanding things on the internet.  I can’t speak for everyone, but this is my experience with fandoms, and how it has affected me both in college and in life. 
Hi, my name is Levena, and I am a fangirl.  (I am also going to Dragon-can soon, and I am so excited I could burst!)

I guess you could say I have been a fangirl most of my life, though I didn’t start in the usual venues.  There were no boy bands for me in my youth, but there was KA Applegate and Animorphs.  I was a book and author fangirl, eagerly awaiting the next book, the next series.  I was on a first name basis with the lovely ladies that worked at the Waldenbooks at our mall, and they always gave me ideas for the next thing I was going to read.  It was the same way with the librarians; every week I’d drag my dad through the doors and disappear into the stacks for an hour or two.

When I got older, I found Magic the Gathering thanks to a cousin of mine.  While I fell out around the Mirage expansion, I still played card games.  I ended up in Yu-gi-oh for a while (Thanks to the anime and my still unchanged affection for that show.  It’s a guilty pleasure, I blame Dan Green.)  I fell back into MtG during the Innistrad set, and had to essentially re-learn the game.  Who were these Planeswalkers?  What the heck were all of these new cards?  I never felt frustrated though, as Magic players are some of the most awesome people you will ever meet.  When I struggled, people offered me help without making me feel inferior.  When I was building decks, people offered me tips or even cards to help me become a better player.  The Magic fandom for me is community, welcoming and fun.

I also will admit that I am a huge fan of anime, thanks Toonami!  I quickly branched out from that limited selection and went out searching for new, better, more and with the baby internet of the time that was an often frustrating affair.  Special orders and I became good friends as my interest grew.  Now, I will admit, while anime has become more mainstream, people in the US still think of it as something for kids, or as something…adult.  There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground in people’s opinions.  Either you are the weirdo watching kids’ shows, or you are the weirdo watching adult- themed cartoons.  While this is kind of depressing, the fact that there is so much more out there is why I still tell people about the shows I watch.  Like vampires and some spooky themes?  Go watch Hellsing.  Giant robots your thing?  Gundam is there to blow stuff up for you.  And hey, these shows often have amazing plots, full of character development and really intense emotions.  I have used these themes in papers before, often describing modern takes on the age old stories of the hero, the quest, or even takes on Romeo and Juliet. 

Anime was my springboard into the wide world of comics and the Marvel and DC universes.  Deadpool was and remains one of my favorite characters ever.  I even wrote a paper for a fiction class about how Wade Wilson is a picaresque character.  (No, seriously.  It remains one of the coolest papers I have ever written in college.)  From Deadpool, I went into Iron Man, Hawkeye, and a bunch of the Marvel Universe.  When the Marvel movie universe started, I was right there with bated breath, anxious to see what happened.  While I admit to a more Marvel bias (Loki! EEE!), I do still enjoy DC works.  Granted, I am not a big fan of the Batman, but I really love the characters around him, especially the Robins.  They were always just so much more interesting to me than Bruce Wayne.  People tend to look down on comics and those who read them, but I find that weird and kind of sad.  Who cares if there are pictures?  Pictures are worth a thousand words as the saying goes, and people can’t seem to look past the fact that comics are pictures to appreciate a good story and wonderful characters.  A story is a story in my opinion.  Is Sandman any less amazing, intricate, and stunning for the fact that it is a graphic novel?  I think not.

I am not the only one who has taken their love of their fandom with them into what they did in school or even life.  Have you heard of David Tennant?  If you are, or know of a Doctor Who fan, chances are you have.  He was the Tenth Doctor, and when he was still in school he would often get in trouble for writing essays on Doctor Who.  (They were like his ideas for the show, fan theories and the like, how cool!)  He was often yelled at for this, but it didn’t stop him.  He grew up, kept his love as a Whovian, and eventually became the Doctor, his dream.  He even married the daughter of his favorite Doctor.  Now, that is some fan dedication.

Well.  This was a bit rambling, but I freely admit I get excited when talking about my fandoms.  It’s a thing.  People who know me know I am kind of quiet.  I prefer to stay home rather than go out, and I typically will find pets more interesting than their owners.  However, when I see a person with a shirt, bag, or something from one of my fandoms, I want to talk to them.  I will strike up a conversation, and I can’t even tell you how many friends I have made this way.  When I started at Trident, I didn’t know anyone, and had no friends in the area.  I felt overwhelmed and depressed; I didn’t know how I was going to get through the day, much less the semester in this sea of strangers.  I was sitting alone in the student lounge, watching people reunite with friends when I saw a person with a DS.  I enjoy playing a bunch of video games, console and handheld alike, and he was sitting alone too.  I got up, and when I got closer I saw the DS had a Kingdom Hearts cover.  (Yes, I LOVE Kingdom Hearts, I own every game and I know no shame.)  I started a conversation, and CJ became my first friend in South Carolina.  Thanks, bro. 

Basically, what I want to say is that fandom itself isn’t bad. Having things you like is important, be it sports, books, games or boy bands.  Do things that make you happy, and as long as you aren’t hurting anyone, I don’t see how it is something ‘bad’.  While there are people who can give fandoms a bad name, get to know the person or the subject before you pass judgment.  Who knows, you might make a new friend, or even get an appreciation of something new.