e: 62 m u l Vo : 18 Issue
DRIFTWOOD The Community Newspaper of the University of New Orleans
@unodriftwood
March 13, 2019
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‘AMALGAMATIONS:’ A WALK THROUGH
BRENNAN PROBST’S EXHIBITION
to these sketches include business cards, a piece of cardboard tubes, a half-ripped dollar and an old check. The specific item that the sketches On a lively Saturday evening in the are drawn over cause the experience Bywater Arts District, the UNO St. to be more tangible, as the item is Claude Gallery hosted MFA student selected from a personal experience. Brennan Probst’s graduate exhibiHe emphasizes that they are “direct tion. The title of the exhibition bears interpretations of my surroundings, significance to Probst’s work. “Amaltranslated straight from myself to the gamations” creates visuals based on object I am drawing on.” While still the dynamic nature of time via photos maintaining viewership control, it is and sketches. more obvious that the drawings are “It’s the combining of moments in from Probst’s subjective perspective time, or places in space in the way rather than the perspective of a camI see or feel in experiences,” Probst era lens. said. This combination is apparent Time is something the average huthrough the multiple exposures and man takes for granted. Probst urges negative stacking techniques in his viewers to hold on to experiences, photographic works. Seen to specno matter how big or small. Save the tators as simple pilings of original thoughts and feelings and let them photos, it conveys a much greater fuel your appreciation for the incommeaning that pertains to the properprehensible concept of time. With an ties of movement and change within example like “Amalgamations,” peothe concept of time. ple are led to reflect upon their own Probst was drawn to these methods perception of life and the continubecause of their seemingly distorted ous passing of time. - Photo courtesy of Brennan Probst view of reality. Common situations Probst’s exhibition is available to such as being in a Target are now Pieces like “Dinner with my Mother-In-Law” (seen above) offer viewers a look through the eyes of Brennan Probst in everyday moments. the public in the UNO St. Claude depicted as a blur, a mess of current Gallery through April 7. The gallery Though a majority of his exhibition are photography piecsurroundings. This was the point is located on 2429 St Claude Ave. Regular gallery hours are es, Probst showcases his drawing skills on a peculiar canProbst was trying to make. from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday. “The subjects within my amalgamated images are not stat- vas: garbage. His series called “Regulated Garbage” depicts Brennan Probst is also currently Driftwood’s head photogic; they are constantly shifting, moving, and changing much his everyday experiences, from looking at his reflection in rapher. his car’s side mirror to his wife sitting on the couch with like how I perceive them through my eyes,” he said. their cats. Various pieces of trash that serve as the backdrop
BY NICOLE GUILLEN Managing Editor
QUESTION OF THE WEEK “What did you do over spring break?” With Stefan Muro and Matthew Stennis “I sprained my ankle by slipping on beads. Then I went skiing in Colorado on my sprained ankle. It was completely worth it.”
“Endymion: Hung out with friends. Went to Bacchus. Friday, some of my sorority sisters and I (all 21 years old) got VIP treatment at the Vintage Rock Club..“
Michael Fernandez Junior
Sabrina Taquino Senior Business Administration
“I went to Phat Tuesday and celebrated my birthday.” James Dew Senior Accounting
“[We] rented out a balcony at Royal Senesta and went to Endymion. We planned a beach trip later in the semester.” Piero Berrios Freshman Mechanical Engineering
“I went to my grampa’s crawfish farm in Jennings, Louisiana. We caught a lot of crawfish. We got over 200 pounds.” Tyler Dinh Junior Electrical Engineering
“I’m not at liberty to say. I plead the fifth.” Nick Dorner Biology Sophomore
NEWS MARCH 13, 2019 A journalist travels the world and ends up in New Orleans 2
BY DEMI GUILLORY Reporter Adam Karlin has traveled to many countries around the world, and on Feb. 28, he spoke to a group of UNO students and faculty about his experiences as a travel author and foreign affairs journalist with Lonely Planet. A UNO MFA student, Karlin filled a room with a captivated audience in the International Center and began his career talk with a backstory that began at the University of Washington. There, Karlin studied student journalism and studied abroad in places like South Africa and the Czech Republic. “I was interested in international studies, along with journalism, and I took and passed the foreign service exam,” he said. A passing grade on the exam allowed him to do work internationally. Karlin explained that the process of getting cleared usually takes around two years. He completed his bachelor’s degree during the first year of the two-year wait. In the period between graduating and waiting for security clearance from the state department, Karlin figured he would “mess around in Asia” until he received the clearance call and used the $2,000 he had in savings to fund a trip to Bangkok. Karlin said that “in retrospect, that was a really great decision, because I wasn’t focused on getting a job immediately after school” — he assumed the job was already in place for him. The spontaneous trip allowed him to be more experimental and creative in his work. Karlin worked as an editor for English-language newspapers while stationed in Bangkok to fund the rest of his trip. He described the reporters’ native English as “usually good but not great,” so Karlin was essentially working as someone who would “clean up their English.” Karlin revealed that the job “actually paid decently well” and that the money he made allowed him to fund a new trip to India. Karlin credits his time in India as the catalyst to his international career. He was a reporter with The Christian Science Monitor when a criminal Karlin described as the “Al Capone of India” was caught in a village near where Karlin was staying. The sting by the Indian police “kicked the door open for
international journalism,” he said. Before he officially joined the Lonely Planet team, Karlin traveled to Sri Lanka during their civil war where he spent some time in an integration shack. “I really enjoyed my time there,” he said. “I was surrounded by international students in an international setting.” The experience was “invaluable” for Karlin, who also said, “I don’t think you can overemphasize how important it is for the practice of international studies, or anything in that wheelhouse, of having simple long-term exposure to people from other places.” His initial work with Lonely Planet was based in the U.S. but eventually led him back to India and new places like Kenya, Malaysia and Cameroon. Karlin shared an anecdote from his time in Kenya with a man at the equator. “We were literally at the equator, and he’s trying to prove to me that when you pour water into a funnel, it swirls one way when you go through the equator and the other way when you stop at the equator,” he recalled.
When his work led him back to the U.S. in 2010, Karlin found himself in New Orleans and “immediately fell in love,” he said. Last year, he won the Gulf Coast Association of Creative Writing Teachers’ graduation fiction award. Karlin still works with Lonely Planet but most of his work these days is focused on freelance work in pursuit of more time with his young family. Karlin has also contributed to media outlets like the BBC, NPR and Jane’s Defence Weekly in addition to his work with Lonely Planet and The Christian Science Monitor over the years. His advice to prospective journalists is to “get real world experience and learn how to bend the rules while you do. Be true to your own values and not be afraid to make ideological judgments when you need to,” he later added. Karlin’s talk was part of the Going Global series hosted by the International Studies Program. There are three more scheduled this semester, including one with Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s director of international relations.
- Photo by Annie Spratt on UnSplash. Journalist Adam Karlin spent a large portion of his international career in India, pictured here, and has fond memories of the country.
Newman Center Lenten Schedule
Weekly Events:
Confessions:
Sunday, Tuesday, & Thursday hour before and after each Mass. Everyday by Appointment
CATHOLIC PRIVATEERS
Catholic Campus Ministry at UNO
University Center Alumni Drive International Center
Newman Center
Elysian Fields
Sunday: Night Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours) at 6:50-7:00 PM Monday: Rosary at 12:30 PM Wednesday: Mass and Munch at 12:00-1:30 PM Thursday: Holy Hour with Adoration 12:20-1:20 PM Friday: Stations of the Cross at 3:00-3:30 PM
Weekly Mass Schedule: Sundays at 6:00 PM Mondays-Thursdays 12:00 Noon
NEWS
MARCH 13, 2019
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UNO Garden Club: The Garden is Alive campaign BY DEMI GUILLORY Reporter Spring officially begins on March 20, and the UNO Garden Club hopes to welcome in the new season with new members. Aasiyah Williams, co-president, recently spoke to Driftwood to offer some insight into the newly revived campus garden and group. At its root, the club focuses on sustainability and maintains a student-grown garden. “The UNO Community Garden Club aims to raise awareness of nutritional fresh food, sustainable urban agricultural practices, and to promote a positive campus experience for UNO students,” Williams said. The garden club was established in summer 2013 with this mission at the club’s forefront. However, since its original founding, Williams said that the garden “has fallen into a state of disrepair.” This neglect inspired Williams and Grace Gilpin, her co-president, to create the “Garden Is Alive” campaign. Her reason? “We are on a mission to bring the garden back,” Williams exclaimed, with a special interest in wanting people to know the garden actually exists. Williams and Gilpin hope their campaign will attract people who are serious about helping the garden grow. “Right now, we are taking volunteers who’d like to become active members,” she said. Williams also stressed that the club is open to anyone — students, faculty and staff — with no membership requirements. Those who are interested in joining can contact Williams by email at aiwilli1@uno.edu. From there, Williams will put them on the group email list, which will keep them informed of any meetings and events and other important information. The club’s most recent event was the Garden Service Day, held on Feb. 23 in the UNO Community Garden. In addition to these service days, the club also hosts events like bake sales, Movie Night in the Garden, and visits to farmers markets and local nurseries. So far this semester, there has been one bake sale, with a couple more in the works. The movie night is also something
the club plans to do this spring semester. Eventually, Williams said, “we would also like to collaborate with local farms and gardens to help us revive the UNO Garden.” The group meets every other Sunday at 3 p.m. Those wanting to attend a meeting are invited to do so by contacting the
organization at unoccgc@gmail.com for the meeting location. The community is also welcome to keep up with the club’s progress by visiting their Facebook page — The UNO Gardeners and their Instagram page — unogardenclub.
- Photo courtesy of Aasiyah Williams. Members and volunteers get their hands dirty during the club’s first service day of the spring semester on Feb. 23.
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MARCH 13, 2019
JOBS
FEATURES
MARCH 13, 2019
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Spotlight: Holladay retires, pursues passions
Staff photo of Kenneth Holladay, Ph.D., a man who learns as enthusiastically as he teaches.
BY HOPE BRUSSTAR Editor-in-Chief “It is both an honor and a horror to receive instruction from Holladay. He is brilliant and will easily leave you in the dust if you are not paying attention,” said one student on RateMyProfessor. Said another, “If you want the privilege of hearing a literal
genius give lectures that are heartfelt and moving, you should jump at the chance to take him. His talks are well-executed and brilliant.” Long known for lectures given in booming tones and notes written on the board with thick railroad chalk, Prof. Kenneth Holladay has announced his retirement. Now, after passing decades at UNO and instructing thousands of pupils, this spring marks his last semester here. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumnus through and through, Holladay received his undergraduate degree in the spring of 1972 and went on to earn his Ph.D. in three years. Holladay describes his college career as one of the best periods of his life. His thesis advisor was Gian-Carlo Photo courtesy of UNO Rota, a mathematician from Italy. “Rota gives Hershey bars to students ... if they catch him making a mistake or if they ask a question in class,” said MIT’s newspaper The Tech in 1997. After college, “I applied to over 100 places,” said Holladay. Finally, he came to UNO, very qualified for a professorship. Holladay teaches multiple classes even while remaining vigorously involved in his research. He is a partner in the Engineering and Applied Science Ph.D. program, which he says
has now had close to 150 graduates. “I’ve had a lot of good students over the years,” said Holladay. He mentions that Dr. Joel Webb was a student of his during his undergraduate career. He says the most gratifying part of teaching is “seeing them getting it.” It’s not easy to impart mathematical knowledge to students, and how much the students practice at home is just as important as how helpful the teacher is. One of the biggest problems he faces is the prior knowledge a student brings to class, which sometimes misleads the student and obstructs the learning process. As for himself, Holladay feels academically successful. He is usually able to prove his mathematical theorems, with the more challenging proofs taking him a couple years to complete. With a strong understanding of computer science, combinatorics, signal processing and numerous fields besides, Holladay considers himself an “exploratory mathematician.” At home, Holladay has two sons and two daughters. His wife works for NASA, and as her career comes to a close, so does his. The couple intends to retire on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, and they’re currently hunting for a home with several acres of land attached. They expect their daily lives to be defined by long hikes in the nearby woods and mountains. “One of the reasons we’re moving to Oregon is, as my wife likes to say, it’s less than a day’s drive from Yellowstone. It’s awesome,” Holladay said. “We’re going to be living less than 20 miles from Mount Hood, which is an active volcano.” Holladay’s wife wants to adopt two Boxers to take on walks, and he wants to adopt two Abyssinians. He will also continue cultivating plants. “I would like to have a substantial greenhouse with heating in it,” Holladay added. “I’ve had trees that have been my buddies, and I’ve been taking care of them for 40 years. I have long been a bonsai grower … I feel like that will be one of the things I will go back to.” As for his personal mathematical research, Holladay is continuing his work on circle systems and hopes to publish a book soon.
Mardi Gras: can locals even enjoy it any more? BY MILENA MARTINOVIC Staff Writer All things must come to an end. Beneath the shimmering veils, the invite-only balls, vibrant floats, sugary king cakes and parties sprawl all the waste, trash, crime, street blocks, frustrations, and for many, anxiety. If New Orleans is already the city of contradictions, then Mardi Gras is the time when it embodies its absolute extremes. Every year, more and more locals choose to leave town usually heading to the beach if the budget allows. Mardi Gras in itself is a privilege: one must have time, money and freedom to move around, costume, eat out and simply take time off work in order to truly enjoy it. No one understands this more than service industry workers. They not only put up with drunk, inconsiderate, entitled tourists (or semi locals), but they must endure extended hours, choosing their beds over hours of parade standing, walking or biking. “To work through Mardi Gras is to survive Mardi Gras,” says Brandi Dobney, a bartender of 3090, a live music venue and bar on Frenchmen Street. She would often have the “clopen” shift during Gras, which means she had to close the bar at about 4 a.m. and re-open it at noon the next day. Getting around the city holds many challenges. The roads get blocked; as a result, there is traffic everywhere. The number of people in town is a lot higher therefore, more cars on the road. This is the time when biking is more than convenient, depending on the weather. This year’s Mardi Gras forecast was quite wet so biking proved to be not so convenient. The New Orleans public transportation system is somewhat functional. The buses stop servicing before and during the parades, and there are endless delays and detours. Basically whoever is able to get around the RTA system during Mardi Gras is skilled enough to mastermind a military maneuver. It takes a more than healthy amount of planning, time flexibility and checking the RTA app constantly. Owning a bike or renting the big blue bikes can help, as you can put it on the bus and save some travel time. Crime is always prevalent, and this year is no exception. A 32-year-old driver was “blind drunk” and injured seven and killing two bicyclists. The driver is the son of an NOPD officer, another classic New Orleans irony. On February 24, an innocent woman was killed and a guard injured on Bourbon street. It was the Saturday before Mardi Gras weekend, and while the direct link cannot be pointed to Mardi Gras per se, it
- Photo by Milena Martinovic Mardi Gras trash on Magazine street after a parade
was nevertheless a night of major parades. In light of all this crime, it is easy to understand why many people choose to skip the parades and the going out. Then there is all that trash. The beads clog the storm drains, and they are made of petroleum-based plastic, which lasts for centuries! Bead recycling programs do exist for example, the nonprofit, Arc of Greater New Orleans, which employs adults with disabilities to repair the strands and sell them back to krewes the following year. However, these programs are not nearly enough, and many think that the way to go is to use biodegradable beads instead.
While the communal experience of Mardi Gras is still magical, unique and diverse in all its glory providing an undeniable freedom to connect with others in indescribable ways and celebrate the city and each other for no specific reason other than that it’s a carnival, as locals, it is important to be aware of the multifaceted limitations and struggles it can impose on an individual, group and environmental level. It doesn’t mean you have to leave town just yet.
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-Photos by Brennan Probst Sunday night on Frechmen Street is an exciting hubbub of musicians and partygoers.
RENCHMEN STREET
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MARCH 13, 2019
NEWS
Spotlight: Lance Sylvester BY JACK WAGUESPACK News Editor Lance Sylvester is a first-time freshman at UNO studying studio art and practicing photography. He’s originally from the New Orleans area and also enjoys dancing and binge-watching anime. Lance is usually exploring different spots for his shoots and doing different photo walks with other aspiring photographers. His latest photo walk took him around New Orleans with multiple other photographers shooting models in some of their favorite places. They edit, collaborate and share their work in the hope of bettering themselves and each other in their art. Sylvester shares some of his biggest influences, his favorite shoots and what’s it like to learn the editing process. L: Lance Sylvester J: Jack Waguespack J: How did you start working with photography? L: The first time I had a chance to work with photography was in high school when I took a graphic design class. The class mostly focused [on working] in Photoshop but there were a few projects involving photography. The class had cameras for students’ use and the teacher would let me use it whenever. J: What/who are some of your biggest influences? L: One of my biggest influences is Peter McKinnon. He is a Canadian-based photographer/cinematographer and a YouTuber. His YouTube channel consists of vlogs, unboxing and reviews and tutorials, many of which I’ve learned from. Brandon Woelfel is another photographer I admire,
mostly for his signature style. J: What has been your favorite shoot you have done? L: I haven’t done an actual shoot yet. Most of my work comes from photo walks, which I guess counts. One of my favorites would be this one set I did with a model named Lillian who was a professional model. J: What is your editing process like? L: My editing process is usually me sitting in my room alone. First, if I feel like I need to, I will put the photo in Photoshop and do some skin retouching and eye enhancements if necessary. Then I import that into Lightroom to edit the photo. I start with one photo and adjust the basic things, [like] contrast, exposure and white balance. Then I go into the more advanced options to get it to a certain look. As of now, I don’t have a specific style, but I’m getting there. J: Do you plan on making a career out of photography? L: I do plan on making a career out of it. I also want to get into videography. J: Where are some of your favorite places to shoot? L: In the city, mostly. Anywhere with a lot of vibrant colors is ideal, including places with flowers.
-Photo by Lance Sylvester A picture from one of Lance’s more recent shoots his friend Amber.
Bearkats Plunder Privateers on ESPN BY STEFAN MURO Reporter Last Wednesday, the Lakefront Arena hosted a much highly anticipated home finale for the Privateer men’s basketball team. With a three game winning streak, a strong 11-2 home record, and the loudest home crowd all season, the Privateers were primed and ready to take on the only team better in the Southland Conference; The (20-9) Sam Houston State Bearkats on ESPN3. In the first half, the Privateers managed to hold a lead a few times and ride the momentum of the crowd but the Bearkats’ redshirt senior guard Cameron Delaney was practically automatic at the three point arch. He shot 4-5 from deep and racked up 16 points alone for the Bearkats in the first half. Even with a great defensive stretch that left Sam Houston State scoreless for almost seven minutes, the Privateers unfortunately couldn’t catch up with Sam Houston’s three point shooting in the second half. The atmosphere of the crowd had gradually changed from animated to agitated throughout the course of the game, but even more so in the second half. Bearkat three pointers continued to fall (12-26) and a few questionably called fouls riled up the crowd and buried almost, if not all Privateer momentum. A solid team effort, lead by junior guard Bryson Robinson’s 15 points cut down Sam Houston State’s 17 point lead down nine, but unfortunately couldn’t get within strik- Men’s basketball team still optimistic after losing home finale to Sam Houston State. ing distance. The final score was 71-60 for a Bearkat win. our depth, I don’t think it’s necessary because at any given Despite of the loss, it was the first one since losing senior moment of any given night, anyone can step up for us.” guard Ezekiel Charles to a torn achillies injury. Since then, In that late second half stretch, the Privateers never showed the team has played as a whole unit and doesn’t seem lean any quit in them and displayed that unselfish they described. on a single player to lead on a nightly basis. After the game, Freshman forward Gerelle Gates and senior center Scott Plaicoach Mark Slessinger said that, “we’ve had multiple guys sance each scored 12 points while Plaisance also added 5 step into the leadership role. It’s been like that tonight, the blocks, 7 rebounds and 2 steals to his night. The team still last few games and the whole year. It’s never been just one managed to rack up an impressive 7 team steals and blocks. person to step up as a leader.” When asked if he thought it Bryson says that, “ what’s done is done. All we can do is think was necessary to have a standout leader to succeed, he frankly on it and we will not forget about it. We’re going to play hard, said, “no.” Bryson Robinson says that, “with our team and work hard every day in practice and win out. I want to see
- Photo by Stefan Muro
them again in the tournament.” Coach also commented that, “we want to run into them again… We’ve got two games to play and we’re trying to get the 2nd seed in the tournament. They’ve been the best team in our league all year and we hope to see them again in the championship.” The Privateers finished their home schedule with an impressive 11-3 record and have two road games remaining until the Southland Conference tournament in Katy, Texas.
ENTERAINMENT
MARCH 13, 2019
Anna Laura Quinn feels the sudden urge to sing
- Photo by Milena Martinovic Anna Laura Quinn performs with her band on Feb. 26 at the “She Comes In Peace” store and performance space.
BY MILENA MARTINOVIC AND DYLAN MININGER Staff Writer and Entertainment Editor Brazilian Bossa Nova. French Jazz. Dixieland. Anna Laura Quinn is a first year MFA student in jazz vocal performance at UNO who not only uses a range of vocals but sings fluently in three languages and multiple styles. Driftwood sat with her at the “Return of the Goddesses” event where she performed on Feb. 26 at a uniquely neon warehouse space in the back of the “She Comes In Peace” salon and storefront in the Bywater. Quinn’s motto is to sing joyfully, even when struck with deep emotion. Her thorough, internationally diverse curiosity greatly influences her love for music where she blends cultural styles. For example, on her debut EP “I Feel the Sudden Urge to Sing!” she writes her own lyrics for a cover of her favorite Disney song from the “Beauty and the Beast,” reinterpreting it in a bossa nova style in Portuguese. Quinn still does not have a stable band, preferring to experi-
ment with classmates and local musicians of different musical backgrounds that support variable styles of her musical sensibility. She likes to keep the band minimal, playing with just the bass and the guitar, but for this album she chose to have a violinist and an accordion as well. “The search for what we’re all longing for” is the driving message of her EP. Quinn grew up in San Francisco, obtaining an all-French education before studying fine arts at NYU. She moved to New Orleans eight years ago, which opened up her artistic palette. She became drawn to the culture of Brazil after moving here, and as a result, lived on the farm in the mountains, becoming fluent in Portuguese. The music of Brazil became her lifeline with the country and its culture. Interestingly, Kurt Vile is one of her influence on one of the tracks on EP. She always loved singing, but never thought she would pursue it seriously until she decided to commit to an MFA program here. She finds the discipline and the workload necessary not only in order to conquer the swing of jazz performance but also the exposure to working with other musicians she otherwise
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would not have. “I really believe it would take me a lot longer to develop the skills than if I was trying to acquire them on my own,” said Quinn. Her latest project, “She Comes In Peace,” contains a large mixture of cultural stylings, but keeps a consistent sound that is reminiscent of the Tin Pan Alley era of music as well as the crooner style. In a timeless sound, her harmonies and barebones instrumental backing build a full-bodied layer of sound while keeping the simplistic stylings used to elevate the vocals. The album stands out from many modern female vocalist projects because of the natural layers within her voice that radiate above the instruments and provide an often sweet melody that listeners can feel dancing on their eardrums. Quinn and her band are opening the season of Jazz at the Sandbar under the direction of Prof. Brian Seeger and the great New Orleans drummer Shannon Powell at the Cove on this Wednesday March 13 at 7 p.m. She is also having her EP release show at the Mudlark Public Theater on Saturday March 16 at 8 p.m.
- Photo courtesy of Leone Julitte Anna Laura Quinn is having an EP release date this upcoming Saturday.
Hopefully the last ‘True Detective’ season BY DYLAN MININGER Entertainment Editor TV audiences have been presented with a slow, macabre and ultimately disappointing third season of the acclaimed show “True Detective,” written by novelist Nic Pizzolatto and starring Oscar winning actor Mahershala Ali and reintroducing the forgotten powerhouse, Stephen Dorff. When “True Detective” originally premiered, it was an instant classic. With the acting clinic put on by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, combined with an incredibly violent, tenebrous and Lovecraftian script by Pizzolatto, it was bound for success when the first episode aired. The show reached massive acclaim, skyrocketing Pizzolattos’ career and garnering him the ability to do a second season. Regardless of the massive cast in season two, it was an absolute flop, hastily written with no real direction. It missed all the marks of the first season while trying to find itself in all the layers of scripted darkness. The main theory of the success of the first season is due to director Cary Joji Fukunaga, famous for his work on the Netflix show “Maniac” as well as films like “Beasts of No Nation.” The first season was also written over a long period of time, while the second and third were written in nearly a quarter of the time. The first couple episodes of season three were directed by upcoming festival circuit director Jeremy Saulnier, who creates a stark yet muted color palette, and these winding longtake shots that show the complex-yet-desolate environment of the shows setting in the Ozarks. After the first three episodes, Saulnier left and incredibly subpar director Daniel Sackheim took helm, making Saulnier’s atmosphere turn into a flat portrait with a cheesy Hollywood look. The third season revolves around Officer Wayne Hays, a.k.a. “Purple Hays,” a Vietnam veteran and now ace detective played by Mahershala Ali, and his partner, a gruff-yet-humorous detective by the name of Roland West. From the getgo, the two actors put on an Emmy worthy show, taking the premise of the show, a double-homicide of two children, and creating this stark realism. The show takes place over three periods of time, but eventually branches into nearly five different timelines, creating a certain level of confusion, with no real sign of what period it is other than the aging makeup applied to the actors. As the murder unfolds into a much bigger case, we find the
- Photo via Warrick Page/HBO Stephen Dorff and Mahershala Ali in “True Detective.”
show taking a lot of themes and concepts that made the first season so fresh, and reusing them to try to regain some of the original momentum, and it really begins to come across as a serious lack of direction from Pizzolatto. Much of the premise of each episode feeds off the previous episode in a traditional manner, while introducing new characters, new plot points and new timelines, but out of eight episodes, it slows down by the fifth. For every question the show poses, the answer is cleared in less than five minutes of
screentime, and it’s cheap. Wrapping itself up in a neat little package massively undermines the emotion and plot buildup of the entire show. Although there’s a deep level of disappointment from the overall crafting of the season, it is most definitely worth watching for the stellar performances, decent cinematography and a couple of really witty one-liners.
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MARCH 13, 2019
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OPINION
EDITORIAL
MARCH 13, 2019
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How important is daylight saving time? Over the weekend, some of you may have noticed your clocks were suddenly an hour behind. Some of you might have even been late to work Sunday morning because of it. Some of you might’ve slept right through Either way, nobody likes losing an hour due to daylight saving, and we begin to wonder… why do we have it in the first place? According to an article in TIME Magazine by Olivia Waxman, daylight saving time began in Germany on May 1, 1916 in hopes it would save energy during World War I. On March 19, 1918, the United States passed a law for daylight savings time for the same reason. Michael Downing, author of “Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time,” wrote that“ Americans getting off work while it was still light out meant they would be more likely to go out shopping in the evening.” He also mentions that since there wasn’t any artificial lighting at baseball fields, extended daylight provided the ability to play night games. When asking about the origins of daylight saving time, the most popular answer one gets is simply “because of farmers.”
Downing actually wrote that “farmers advocating for daylight saving is a common myth. In fact, daylight saving time meant they had less time in the morning to get their milk and harvested crops to market. Some warned that it was taking us off God’s time.” So, if daylight saving time isn’t for farmers, why are we still catering to a system that was started in 1916? Some states and countries such as Hawaii, Arizona, Guam and Puerto Rico choose to ignore this practice and leave their clocks as is. Since they are either islands or on the border of a time zone, it seems irrelevant. Pennsylvania legislation is actually working on passing a law that would join the state with Hawaii and Arizona. Unlike those states, Pennsylvania is a major transportation state in the northeast, and ignoring daylight savings time would throw off travel times all over the country. Last year, Louisiana legislation attempted to ignore daylight savings time as well, in hopes of recruiting car accidents at night. Since Louisiana is a vital travel state as well, the proposal was rejected. According to Rep. Mark Wright of Covington, Louisiana could exempt itself from the changes
COLUMN The Student Government Association’s transgender resolution BY JACK WAGUESPACK News Editor During a recent SGA meeting, SGA President Kenady Hills introduced a compound resolution regarding the transgender community at UNO. In the wake of the Trump administration’s efforts to attack the transgender community in the U.S., Hills worked with fellow senators Nicky Cao, J.D Ligier and Cory Pitalo to write up a plan to ensure the safety and rights of transgender students. While this is a nice gesture from the student government in support of transgender rights and safety, what does it really mean for the future of the community? The resolution highlights one of the more recent ideas from President Trump, focusing on “redefining the federal interpretation of gender to exclude transgender America’s identities,” as Hills stated in the opening paragraph of the compound resolution. In the past few months, the Department of Health and Human Services have been trying to implement a “legal definition of sex under Title IX,” meaning people will not be able to legally change their gender markers on any state-issued
documents, including licenses, birth certificates and school forms. It would leave the only options for gender as “male” and “female,” and gender would be determined by that person’s genitalia. UNO students are allowed to change their preferred name in the system, and professors and administration will use the pronouns of the students choice. Trump’s plans could potentially create an unsafe environment for transgender students and faculty, where they would have to go by their “deadname,” or legal name, and not have the right to be called by their preferred pronouns. The rest of the resolution addresses the basic rights and needs of the transgender community, including LGBTQ+ basic sensitivity training, use of their preferred name and pronouns, and the consideration of adding gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms to the recreational center. Hills also ends the resolution with statements regarding keeping the line of communication open, such as “It is important that the University of New Orleans continues to have productive conversations and discussions on what it means to
provide transgender students and all underrepresented students with every right given to majority populations.” It ends with Hills and the rest of the senate challenging UNO and its administration to “reaffirm its nondiscrimination statement,” which ensures the safety and protected rights of all members of the university based on gender. The bill was passed with no vetoes, but SGA still awaits a response from President Nicklow on the matter. Without a response or a plan of action, the resolution is basically a blanket statement from SGA that they stand with transgender and queer students. While that is more than what many universities has done, a piece of paper cannot protect the many transgender lives on campus. “Professors are scared to call on us in case they misgender us and some even still misgender me after correcting them multiple times,” recalls senator Nicky Cao. If UNO and LGBTQ allies are truly concerned about transgender students’ quality of life, then they should implement a plan to continue protecting them — even when the nation’s government does not.
and decide on a standard time year-round. But first, the legislature want to put together a task force to study the impacts and then pursue legislation in 2019. After Mardi Gras, New Orleanians are trying to recover from the festivities and get back to a regular sleeping schedule. Daylight saving time can make this rather difficult, especially for UNO students as they get back in the swing of things academically. It seems like it’s more trouble than it’s worth to exclude oneself from what the rest of the world is doing, especially for states like Louisiana and Pennsylvania, because of the important roles they play nationally. It’s not fun to “spring forward” and lose an hour for outdated reasons, but it’s worth it when we can “fall back” and get that hour back. We can all look forward to 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, because that’s when we’ll get that hour back!
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- Photo courtesy of Nicky Cao Senator Nicky Cao on of the writers of the compound resolution