THE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS Volume: 62 Issue: 11
NOVEMBER 14, 2018
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Michael Thomas is calling all fans in Saints’ best game yet BY JOSEPH BELLOTT Contributor Calling all fans, calling all fans! Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was calling all fans to celebrate the touchdown as well as to celebrate the Saints’ past fan favorite, Joe Horn. The price of the celebration was $30,000! Unperturbed by the fine, he led the Saints to a pivotal win over the Los Angeles Rams, who are leading the National Football Conference West. Thomas said, “It was fun. The best thing about it was that we won. So everything else is just secondary.” The Saints’ offense is ranked sixth and Rams’ offense is ranked first; the final score of 45 - 35 was not too surprising. The stars of each of the teams certainly came to play. The quarterbacks, Jarret Goff and Drew Brees, both had great games. Brees threw 57 yards above his average of 289 passing yards per game. Goff threw 78 yards above his average of 313 passing yards per game. The guys throwing the ball had some great receivers to help them. The Rams’ featured receiver, Brandin Cooks, returned to his old stomping ground with six receptions for 114 yards. He was a New Orleans Saints player from 2014 to 2016, and reached over 1000 yards while receiving in his last two seasons. But Thomas may have erased every memory of him in New Orleans. Through his first three years, he has totaled 3,332 yards from receiving. He got 211 yards receiving against the Rams, which set a new franchise record for receiving yards in a game, breaking Wes Chandler’s 205-yard game which stood for 39 years. On the ground, the teams featured three of the best runners in the league. The two-headed Monster
-Top: Photo courtesy of Action Sports Photography / Shutterstock.com. Bottom: Photo via Flickr. com. The Best Game to date with a Call of Fate.
for New Orleans helped the Saints reach 141 yards on the ground, while the best running back in football helped the Rams get 92. Alvin Kamara ran for 82 yards and added in 34 receiving yards. Mark Ingram only ran for 33 yards, which is about 20 yards under his rushing yards per-game average for the year. But in Ingram’s defense, he and Kamara assisted the offensive line in protecting Drew, allowing not a single sack on the day. Unfortunately for the Rams, there is no duo but only a solo attack on the
ground. However, he happens to be the best running back in all of football, at least statistically. His name is Todd Gurley. He is averaging just south of 140 total yards per game, 100 coming from the rush. Like great teams do, our team did its best when they played against the best. Gurley hobbled away with only 68 yards rushing. All in all, the statistics were almost identical – 483 total yards for the Rams and 487 yards for the Saints. The difference is made by critical plays, just like the Rams’ head coach Sean McVay
said. “They made enough plays… They made critical plays at the end.” The key play was an intercepted pass by Alex An-
zalone in the middle of the game, which halted a promising drive by the Rams. The Saints did most of their damage in the first half, having gone up 21 points at one point in the second quarter. In the second half, the Rams came back and eventually tied the game. With a few minutes left in the game, Brees connected with Thomas for a long touchdown, which put the Saints up 10 points with three minutes left to go. That’s when pandemonium broke out. Thomas walked over to the goal post padding, bent down and grabbed a cell phone. True fans may have known this act all too well. He reenacted Horn’s famous celebration of 2003. It was fun, but dangerous, because it gave the Rams a smaller field on the kickoff by moving the kickoff from the usual spot to 15 yards further back for the Saints. Joe Buck, the in-game commentator said, “The Saints are going to be penalized for this celebration … that’s very uncharacteristic of Michael Thomas.” But is it uncharacteristic of him? It was a quintessential act of overconfidence. Thomas knows football is a team sport, and a penalty would affect not just him, but his team. Giving away free yards to the opponent in a realistic comeback scenario is big. Perhaps head coach Sean Payton gave him the go-ahead. Who knows?
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NEWS
The FBI and its dealings with online attacks BY HOPE BRUSSTAR Editor-in-Chief New Orleans FBI Special Agent Brett Heir visited to discuss internet security with the Learning Before Lunch program, a series of monthly lectures hosted by UNO alumni. About 40 middle-aged and senior alumni filled most of the seats, wearing name tags that signaled their paid membership to the Learning Before Lunch organization. “What do you use the internet for?” Heir asked the audience. The alumni offered up answers like “social media” and “research,” until one woman interjected with “stalking!” and everyone laughed. “We really want to give you guys a sense of what the FBI looks at through a cyber lens,” said Heir, whose job involves dealing with both internet crimes and online threats to national security. “Cyber intrusions are becoming more commonplace, more dangerous, and more sophisticated,” he stated. “If you are 80 or you are eight, you are vulnerable on the internet.” Heir also pointed out that the entire world pays a steep price for cybercrime - McAfee estimated this was about $600 billion per year. There are several categories that these crimes fit into. Cybercrime can occur as an act of “hacktivism,” terrorism, warfare, or espionage — here Heir mentioned Russia’s likely involvement in the 2016 elections. “The easiest way for countries outside of the U.S. to get information ... is through the internet,” stated Heir. And it doesn’t matter
-Photo by Hope Brusstar On Thursday, Nov. 8, an FBI agent came to discuss the work of his profession: online crime and threats to national security. whether an actor is working for a government or otherwise: most systems can be infiltrated by anyone. “Terrorists, generally speaking, are pretty savvy, maybe savvier than people think,” Heir said. “ISIS is a good case study
for this. They built a huge following on the internet ... through a social media campaign.” Heir continued to talk about methods of infiltration, mainly focusing on exploitation of individuals and private companies. “Social engineering is using
psychological means to retrieve personal information.” This can include methods like phishing, keylogging, and spoofing. Phishing involves asking people directly for sensitive info, and it is often done in conjunction with spoofed emails or websites. Heir explained how perpetrators will use email addresses or website addresses that seem familiar but are actually slightly different. People trust them because they won’t notice the changes, and then will buy into their request. For example, if a web user typed “Amszon.com” instead of “Amazon.com” into the address bar, they might find a website that looks like Amazon and give it their login information. There is a particular case of extortion which Heir claimed to see fairly often: ransomware. “Ransomware is a very popular attack — especially at businesses,” said Heir. This is when a company’s important files are locked up, and to have them returned, the company must pay some amount of money. “Every hour you can’t access your client list, you might be losing money,” explained Heir. “... Our general recommendation is that you don’t pay them, but we totally understand if you do.” In one case, a company suffered a ransomware attack, but was unsure that payment would guarantee the return of their files. According to Heir, “The company said, ‘How do we know you are going to unlock the files when we [pay]?’ and they said, ‘Oh, we have references! Here are some of our other victims.’” So the company reached out to
them and confirmed with other enterprises that the perpetrator had a history of following through. The audience responded with laughter all around. Heir also discussed the dangers of online dating. Crooks will use an attractive profile picture and draw users to become emotionally attached to an online persona, then ask them for money. “We’ve seen people wipe out their retirement savings sending money to these guys,” said Heir. Senior audience member Steve Plotkin chimed in, “That happened to a woman I know ... talked to a guy, sent him $50,000 ... he was talking about marriage and stuff!” “The frequency of this is very high,” Heir reported. It is probably not possible to avoid every type of cyber attack there is, but there are some simple ways anyone can improve their chances of staying safe. Heir suggested doing things such as “Keep your firewall turned on” and “Keep that and your antivirus software updated.” He also recommended keeping data on a physical backup drive, one that is not plugged in and does not have a network connection. There are also cloud-based backup services available. One woman in the audience mentioned Carbonite as an example. The Learning Before Lunch lecture series hosts events every second Thursday of each month. More information can be found at learningbeforelunch.com. The $25 membership fee is waived for current UNO students, who are welcome to attend for free.
Pelicans defeat the Bulls and end losing streak BY CLAIRE SARGENT Reporter On Nov. 7, the New Orleans Pelicans battled the Chicago Bulls and won on home turf at the Smoothie King Center, ending the New Orleans Pelicans’ losing streak. The final score of the game was 107-98. The main focus of the game was on the “battle of the brothers” with Jrue Holiday, a point guard/ shooting guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, playing against his brother, Justin Holiday, a shooting guard/small forward for the Chicago Bulls. The Holiday brothers scored the same amount of points against each other during the game, which was 17, and almost played in the game the same amount of time. Justin Holiday played in the game for 38 minutes while Jrue Holiday played for 37 minutes. They both scored six field goals and attempted to score 16, bringing both of their field goal percentages to 37.5 percent. They also both played the
most amount of time out of any of their teammates during the game, signifying how intense this “battle of the brothers” was. “When I was watching the game, I could see that Jrue Holiday did not want to lose to his big brother, which really fired him up and helped him play well,” said Saul Munoz, a New Orleans Pelicans fan at the game. “It was a good ol’ sibling rivalry, which I am used to since I have seven siblings myself.” Anthony Davis, a power forward/center for the New Orleans Pelicans, scored the bulk of the points during this game with 37 points. He played for 37 minutes, which was the same amount of time that Jrue Holiday played. Davis also scored 13 field goals and attempted to score 24, making his field goal percentage 54.2 percent. During the second half of the game, Davis suffered a minor injury from a hit to the nose. He sat out for a few plays but was back on the court soon after. E’Twaun Moore, a shooting
guard/point guard for the Pelicans, played the second-highest amount of time, with 31 minutes of playing time. Moore scored eight points total, and he scored three field goals and attempted nine, making his field goal percentage 33.3 percent. Nikola Mirotic, a power forward for the Pelicans, played for 29 minutes of this game and scored nine points total. He scored four field goals and attempted to score 14, which brought his field goal percentage to 28.6 percent for this game. Wesley Johnson, a small forward/shooting guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, had 23 minutes of playing time, and he scored a total of 12 points. He scored five field goals out of seven field goal attempts, making his field goal percentage the highest out of his teammates’ with 71.4 percent. The New Orleans Pelicans and the Chicago Bulls will have a rematch on Feb. 6 at 7 PM in Chicago at the United Center.
-Photos by Claire Sargent Anthony Davis walking onto the court for the second half.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018
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NEWS
Pi Sigma Alpha hosts Election Night at the Sandbar BY JACK WAGUESPACK News Editor Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, hosted an election party for the midterm elections on Nov. 6 at the Sandbar. Pi Sigma Alpha offered free food, midterms projected on the big screens, and raffle games throughout the night while people from different departments came together to watch the elections. With everyone being separated based off of political parties and views, the organization opened the floor for friendly conversation and discussion between the different parties during one of the most high stress times of the year. While this was a nonpartisan event, it was very clear who was rooting for whom. The tension was high due to the political climate we are currently in; each party hoping to win House, Senate, or both. Democrats were hopeful in gaining some power in the house and Republicans were hoping to maintain control. Prior to the midterm elections, the Republicans controlled both the House of Representatives and Senate. 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate were up for grabs along with all of the 435 seats in the lower House of
Representatives. If the Democrats were able to control both houses it would allow them to block cabinet and supreme court appointments but if Republicans kept control then they could secure President Trump would stay in office until 2022, while needing two-thirds majority in the Senate for impeachment. This years midterm elections showed some of the most qualified and passionate new runners in many states. According to The Guardian, American voters are more reluctant to eject a sitting representative; meaning that each party has a better chance at gaining a seat where an incumbent, current representative, is not running again. New democrat runner for senate in Texas, Beto O’Rourke, gained a quick following as did Republican Dan Crenshaw, runner for Texas House of Representatives. This year was also a big time for woman, with a large increase of female representation in running for both senate and house. With so many big name runners, it was hard to project who would take over which part of congress. Historically, Republicans have had a high voter turnout at the polls but this year the Democrats outvoted them by more than 4
Students gathered on Nov. 6 at the Sandbar to watch the election results roll in. million according to NPR News. With movements such as March for Our Lives, a movement started by high school students after the Stoneman Douglas shooting, young people have been rallied up to register to vote and march to the polls; mostly focused towards young democrats to push for more secure gun control. While this
wave of voters may have changed the direction of the elections, the power is now split between the parties with republicans controlling the senate and democrats controlling the house; leaving this years midterms with the highest voter turnout in 50 years. Women won 99 seats in the house which includes some of the most diverse
-Photo by UNO Marketing
politicians, culturally and politically. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman elected to Congress at the age of 29 and Ilhan Omar is the first Muslim congressman. New waves of voters, diverse representation in congress, and courageous new runners are only a hint of what is to come in 2020.
FEATURES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018
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Neighborhood Summit addresses community issues
-Photo by Timothy Neesam via Flickr The 2018 Neighborhood Summit addressed many issues facing New Orleans, including crime cameras and increasing internet and technology availability to the poor.
BY HOPE BRUSSTAR Editor-in-Chief On Saturday, Mayor LaToya Cantrell sponsored the annual Neighborhood Summit in the University Center. “New Orleans is our home, and together, we have to work to make it an even better home for future generations,” said Cantrell.
The summit ensued in the form of a series of presentations, a kind of smorgasbord of city improvement projects. Law enforcement officials, public health officials, climate experts and a myriad of other professionals came to discuss topics relevant to the city’s well-being. One session, called “Approaching Violence as a Public
Health Crisis,” was presented by a group of people including New Orleans Health Department Director Jennifer Avegno, Criminal Justice Commissioner Tenisha Stevens, and Director of Cure Violence New Orleans David Bocage. “An epidemic of violent injury has plagued our community for far too long,” the group stated. “Thinking of vi-
olence as a public health issue provides a more inclusive and comprehensive way to understand and tackle this critical issue for New Orleans.” Their presentation brought insight from average people who are acting to reduce violence in the streets. Public safety administrator Ross Bourgeois, who oversees the Real Time Crime Center, came to discuss “Leveraging Technology to Enhance Public Safety: New Orleans’ Real-Time Crime Center and You.” Given in coordination with Homeland Security Public Engagement Manager Laura Mellen and others, he discussed the activities of the Real-Time Crime Center in its first year of operation. Soon, a follow-up SafeCam Platinum program will begin in an effort to give business owners and members of the public the opportunity to hook up public-facing cameras of their own. Other initiatives of the summit involved attaining digital equality amongst all socioeconomic classes, Connect the Crescent’s work to make the streets more amenable to all
kinds of transportation, studying how to maintain housing equity, keeping the city infrastructure resilient during climate change, and addressing quality of life issues with projects like CleanUP NOLA. Those who visited the summit were given packets of information about all of the presenters and their community betterment projects. Visitors were asked to fill out an evaluation at the end, which asked about things like event accomodations, the quality of the speakers, and guests’ overall enjoyment of the summit. The entire venture was an undertaking of the Mayor’s Neighborhood Engagement Office, which defines itself as the city’s “permanent mechanism for public participation in government decision-making.” Unfortunately, the summit was not publicized at UNO, and important though it may have been, no public outreach was done to alert campus-goers of the event. Many students and faculty may not have been aware that such an important event was going on at their own university.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018
UNO’S TALENT SHOW
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-Photos by Brennan Probst Students were invited to exhibit their talents at the 2018 annual talent show, held in the University Center Ballroom. Performances included singing, dancing and magic tricks.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14W, 2018
INNOVATEUNO -Photos by Terry Shields InnovateUNO is the annual research symposium for the University of New Orleans. All UNO undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff engaged in projects that involve research, scholarly or creative activities were encouraged to present their work at UNO’s InnovateUNO. The event lasted over the course of two days and took place on the fourth floor of the Earl K. Long Library.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018
ENTERTAINMENT
UNO Theater presents: “Gloria” BY CASSANDRA JASKIEWICZ Managing Editor
UNO Theater presents “Gloria!”
-Photo by Cassandra Jaskiewicz
“Gloria” premiered this week at the UNO Theater. It details the day of an office shooting in modern-day New York, its effects on the victims eight months after, and finally takes a brief look eight years later, exploring the many controversial and painful experiences of such tragedies. The topic of shootings is fresh in the minds of Americans, as the country experienced another mass shooting on Nov. 8 in Thousand Oaks, California, but the play does it justice. The story begins as just another normal work day for a group of ambitious writers who have grown tired of their place within the office. The play opens with Dean, one of the main characters, arriving late and hungover from a party hosted by his coworker, Gloria. The office is on “red alert” as they try to write article on the death of famous singer. The tone of this play takes a suddenly and dark shift. Gloria, briefly shown thus far on stage anxious and stressed, returns and shoots many of her coworkers. Dean and a few other of his
coworkers survive. The next two acts follow these characters as they attempt to deal with with this tragedy and the trauma they now have to live with. The actors did a great job delivering their lines with fire and passion, often giving intense monologues that critiqued society and the world at large. Each character provided a insight to the kind of tragedy they had witnessed, or did not witness, and how all these feelings would stay with them throughout their lives. The stage was set with lots of meaningful detail, from paper spread out on top of desks to computers lighting up with documents. Actors had the chance to interact with any props on stage, which added to their performance. The most amazing use of effects, however, happened within the first act of the play when the gun went off. The sound of the gun was impossible to miss in the quiet theater, and an audio file of people screaming added to the drama. When the intern character walked on stage with blood already on his back, the audience was in shock. The play questions how can traumas be compared, how grief
should be dealt with, and who should be the one to write the story down. One of the biggest conflicts the characters face is locating ownership in a tragedy that impacted everyone. Dean, who witnessed the shooting firsthand, was forced to rewrite his memoir to include the shooting and rename it “Gloria.” Another character, who had managed to leave before the shooting even began, wanted to write a book about the victims. A third character, one who hid under their desk during the shooting, published a piece about this tragedy. The one that managed to become a success, however, didn’t even focus on the shooting, only glamorized and profited from it. One of the negative things about this particular production of “Gloria” was the lack of warning as to the type of violence depicted on stage. When the first gunshots went off, the audience nearly jumped out of their seats in fear and anticipation. Some kind of trigger warning could have been helpful. The intermission for this production, though, was perfectly placed as it gave the audience to relax and process what they had seen.
“Presented” with Jack and Oscar - a Q&A session BY JACK WAGUESPACK News Editor While two Latino men usually are not shown as the main additions in any series, “Presented” podcast creators Jack Cole and Oscar Hernandez bring in their own culture, passion, and style to everyday topics. Cole and Hernandez are bringing a modern twist with reviews and discussions on beer, art and food. A new episode of “Presented” is uploaded every Monday at 10 a.m. on Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher. Cole and Hernandez sat down with the Driftwood and delved into their friendship, business and goals for “Presented” in the future. JW: Jack Waguespack, JC: Jack Cole, OH: Oscar Hernandez JW: How did you two meet? JC: We met roughly 10 years ago at our middle school, Patrick Taylor Science and Technology Academy. I hadn’t known Oscar but witnessed him get caught up in middle school drama after having been rejected by a girl. I met him while helping our mutual friend Ricky console him . JW: What started the process of creating a podcast? JC: In 2014, after graduating high school, we began discussing the possibility of doing a podcast, but never really had the
intentions [or] motives to do it. Mainly because we felt as two Latino men coming from working-class families, content creation wasn’t feasible for us. Then in 2016, after I lost my financial aid and had to drop out of college and Oscar decided that he personally did not want to attend college, we spent a year aloof and aimless, just working in the service industry. Eventually we both came to the decision that we should pursue our artistic desires instead of doing nothing. JW: What did you learn from the process? JC: Practice. When we began the process we thought recording a podcast would be natural because having long-winded conversations was something we did regularly. But when we recorded for the first time, we recognized the conversations felt very unnatural and forced. We then began recording practice episodes regularly for about two months which resulted in about 12 episodes we never used until we had one we felt we could post. ... Simultaneously, because reviewing and sharing media became a part of our podcast, we both made a conscious effort to become better at articulating our thoughts and appreciations on the media we enjoy.
JW: What’s your favorite part of having the podcast? OH: In general, having a podcast — essentially a conversation you’re waiting to have every week — makes you more attentive to everything you experience. We watch movies more closely, listen to other podcasts more intently, and even drink beer more purposefully, knowing I’m going to want to share my opinion about it. It also makes us more interested in trying new things constantly so that we always have something new we’re super excited about. Recording the podcast allows us to do exactly what we want to allow others to do: that is, gain a wider and deeper appreciation of the world and all the great art in it. Jack describes the podcast as a “liberating” thing for us, as a representation of us giving ourselves permission to indulge in our creative tendencies. JW: If you do, how do you plan on expanding your work? JC: Oscar is a very ambitious person, always thinking about what the future could be like. As such, the podcast is step one of many in a grand plan to give us and all of our friends as many excuses to make cool stuff as possible,
and, with time and proper effort, get paid to do so. Ideally, we’ll expand outward, with myself doing more in the comedy, culinary, and music
fields, Oscar doing more in the audio and video spaces, and all of our friends coming along for that ride.
-Photo by Jack Waguespack Co-hosts and creators of “Presented,” from left to right: Jack Cole and Oscar Hernandez.
ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018
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“Homecoming” sets new precedent for streaming TV BY DYLAN MININGER Entertainment Editor “Mr. Robot” is one of the most underrated shows in television history, just about to begin its fourth and final season. Creator Sam Esmail crafts the show so intricately that it feels as though you’re getting lost in the deep thought processes of an unstable human being. Esmail has taken on a new role, directing all 10 episodes of the new Amazon Prime original series, “Homecoming,” starring Julia Roberts and Bobby Cannavale. This show, with all its similar visual flourish and stone-cold plot line, tends to break from the mental gymnastics of “Mr. Robot” that makes it a brick wall to the average television audience. Although Esmail directs this new series, he did not write it. “Homecoming” is adapted from a fictional found-audio style podcast by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg. The podcast had a heavy following and featured a fairly well-known cast of people who lend their voices to the chilling presentation. The show follows Julia Roberts as Heidi Bergman, a counselor working at the Homecoming Center, which is a privately run facility for newly returned veterans. The show fluctuates between past and present, which is typical of Esmail’s style, except in “Homecoming,” it’s more visually noticeable
with its shift of aspect ratio, from widescreen in the past to a tight and claustrophobic 4:9 ratio that leaves black bars on the left and right side of the screen. This visual choice is no doubt a response to critics of “Mr. Robot” that claimed to lose track of all the various time shifts and visual representation of the unreliable narration. Avoiding any real plot details within this review is for the best, as it’s a refreshingly short 30 minutes per episode, with only 10 episodes. The timing of the show resembles a short story, in the sense that the plot is compact and reveals important information in short bursts. The show is easily bingeable, but you can tell its preferred pace is slow. Esmail uses techniques that seem to have been lost on many writers and directors. His compact and coldtoned dialogue is sharp, but has the ability to twist your brain like a pretzel if you miss details. The show focuses heavily on issues of soldiers returning with PTSD, as well as the privatization of industries such as the military and medicine. The show weaves an emotional, impactful on-screen chemistry, especially with Julia Roberts and the various characters she interacts with. The abundance of guilt-ridden dialogue is mixed with stark moments of lockjaw-inducing room-tone. The performances are spectacular, as is expected from such a
Just look at that framing. highly skilled cast, but the true stand-out is in the cinematography. One of the best in the television business is Tod Campbell. His work is easily recognizable in “Mr. Robot,” “Stranger Things” and now “Homecoming.” His framing breaks all the rules taught to cinematographers. Something you will commonly see within “Mr. Robot” and “Homecoming” is the breaking of the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is a technique that’s used to draw the audience’s eye to a point of interest or wherever the
-Photo courtesy of Amazon Prime Video director wants your eye to be directed, which should be roughly one-third or two-third up or across the screen, and avoiding anything being directly in the center of the frame. Campbell breaks this rule to create an emotional consistency with the characters and the camera. His angles and shots are even better in “Homecoming,” creating some of the greatest tracking shots and establishing shots in television history. He makes a 4:3 aspect ratio look good — which to me is impossible. I can gush all day about the ar-
resting details of the show’s visuals, writing, score and acting, but it truly speaks for itself within the first 10 minutes. This is a mustwatch, especially for people who have been reluctant to begin “Mr. Robot.” This show will help you to understand Esmail’s style and visual approach in a much more concise and compact manner. Don’t let that fool you, though: “Homecoming” is just as deep, if not more, and truly helps to secure Amazon Prime as one of the best streaming/original content producers in the game right now.
New Christmas-season blockbusters The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Starring: Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson
Alonzo’s arrest for a crime he did not commit. I expect this film to be another serious contender during award season. Look out for this film’s limited release on December 14 and wide release on December 25.
The infamous Coen brothers return with a wildly bold project for Netflix. The film will be an anthology of six short films that take place in the Old West post-Civil War. With a talented cast of Coen brothers regulars and newcomers, this is sure to be a serious entry into the brothers nearly perfect catalog of films. In recent years, the films of the Coen brothers keep growing larger and larger with the amount of leading characters. Their most recent film “Hail, Caesar!” only takes the time to focus on a select few characters while introducing us to a slew of others. “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” begins streaming on Netflix Instant on November 16.
The Favourite
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Starring: Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz Yorgos Lanthimos is a director whom I have found to be one the most challenging and talented filmmakers in the modern world of filmmaking. Coming quickly of the tails of his -Photo courtesy of Annapurna Pictures last film, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” Lanthimos now finds himself putting on an entirely different hat. His new film, “The Favourite” finds its backdrop in the 18th century during “If Beale Street Could Talk” a war between England and France. The film revolves around a frail queen and her closest friend Sarah (Rachel Weisz). Conflict arises when Abigail (Emma Stone), a new servant, arrives. Lanthimos’ past films are nearly perfect to me, with spectacular cinematography and spine-chilling dialogue. All of his films keep the same types of emotionally distant characters The House That Jack Built and heartless violence. “The Favourite” is sure to be a completely different film for Lanthimos, Director: Lars von Trier all while retaining the elements that have helped him to stand out in the world of film. “The Starring: Matt Dillon, Riley Keough, Uma Thurman Favourite” hits theaters nationwide on November 23. What is there to say about Lars von Trier without using extreme profanity? The man is by far one of the most shocking filmmakers in the past 20 years. His recent films, “Nymphomaniac”, “Melancholia” and “Antichrist” all have one thing in common: a portion of the audience leaves If Beale Street Could Talk within the first 20 minutes. I’ve been watching Von Trier’s films for quite some time and find Director: Barry Jenkins him to be one of the most complex filmmakers, even if most of his films are highly disturbing. Starring: Stephan James, Regina King, KiKi Layne Told through five parts, we follow sociopathic serial killer Jack (Matt Dillon) through his most eccentric and elaborately orchestrated murders. This film essentially unfolds from the perspecBarry Jenkins’ last film “Moonlight” is one of my favorite films of all time, and judging by tive of Jack the serial killer. This film seriously has people riled up and offended, as it’s fairly his Best Picture win at the 2017 Oscars, the people seem to agree. In his newest film, based on rare to see films from the perspective of individuals who do such heinous things. I for one am a James Baldwin novel of the same name, Jenkins sets out to keep his audience satisfied with incredibly excited to see this film’s original cut, just how it was premiered at Cannes. The film more stellar performances and amazing cinematography by “Moonlight” cinematographer, will be released in select theaters for one night only on November 28. An R- rated, edited verJames Laxton. The film takes place in 1970s Harlem and tells the story of Tish (KiKi Layne) sion will be released in theaters and on digital platforms beginning Dec. 14. and Alonzo Hunt (Stephan James), childhood friends who find their future plans interrupted by
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COLUMN
Winter is coming! How to prepare
BY ERINN LANGILLE Copy Editor The weather has taken a turn in New Orleans, entering the short winter phase of the year. According to the almanac, the long range forecast for New Orleans is two degrees colder for December, but overall the winter will be milder than usual. There is even a chance of snowfall in mid to late December. What does all this mean for students on and off campus? Students who once lived in most snowy, northern areas might not think a dip in the weather here is going to matter much. It’s not buckets of snow. But several factors can make New Orleans a chilly winter experience. Traditional New Orleans architecture does not bode well in cold temperatures. All the unique design features to keep those houses
cool in the heat work against inhabitants in the cold months. The high ceilings that draw warmth upwards, wide front porches that shade and cool the air as it comes in, the tall windows that allow the greatest amount of breeze to enter, and raised levels to prevent flooding and let ventilation to flow under the house, all bring the cold air in during the winter. The shotgun-style houses allow cooler air to flow through the house and out the back door; in winter, it can feel like the house is a cold wind tunnel blowing straight through. What’s more, the houses are not usually insulated; some are not heated at all. Lucky people can still use the fireplaces in many homes, though many are sealed over, while some smart folk have insulated under the raised floors, or caulked leaky windows. As it stands, much of the South is illequipped for winter weather. Pipes can freeze, as they did for some when temperatures dropped below freezing last year, resulting in burst pipes, water pressure dropping and other property damage. Even if your own pipes are not busted, the wasted water from the burst pipes of others can affect overall water pressure and cause neighbourhood-wide low pressure or even boiled water advisories. A helpful hint to prevent frozen pipes is to have a continuous
drip of running water going from the major kitchen, bathroom and outdoor water lines. The water’s continuous movement prevents the lines from easily freezing; if water is sitting idle, it can freeze, expand and burst the pipe. Another tip is to cover exposed outdoor water lines with old towels, blankets or rags. The extra layers act like winter coats for the pipes and keep them protected from the elements. If a pipe seems to be freezing but hasn’t yet burst, it can sometimes be thawed out with the slow heat of a hairdryer running up and down along the affected area. Windows can be better insulated with a little foam tape run along the edges, cotton balls stuffed and taped into the cracks, or heavy curtains. For on-campus students in dorms, an extra blanket or two might just make the difference, or for a draft under a door, you can use a towel, blanket or fancy draft guard. A pair of warm slippers or socks helps take the chill out of cold floor, and a sweater, coat or even hat and mitts can make a surprising frosty New Orleans warm-hearted again.
Countdown to
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DRIFTWOOD Staff
2000 Lakeshore Drive, UC 252 New Orleans, LA 70148
Hope Brusstar, driftwood@uno.edu......................Editor-in-Chief Cassandra Jaskiewicz...........................................Managing Editor Jack Waguespack........................................................News Editor Erinn Langille................................................................Copy Editor
Gambling, greyhounds and animal cruelty into a non-betting preliminary race. If that goes well, the dog will then be moved on to the next level of racing. If both of these races go well, then the dog will become a racing greyhound, but if it fails it will be retired immediately and placed in a rescue. Dogs normally race twice a week, then spend the rest of their time in a cage. These dogs are often confined up to 21 hours a day in a crate. A greyhound may live to 13 years, but can be retired from racing as early as 18 months old to five years old. This happens when the dog is deemed unprofitable or suffers an injury. In 2015 there were 909 racing greyhound deaths, as well as 27 cases of greyhound cruelty and neglect. Cruelty and neglect cases may be the result of starvation, lack of veterinary care, or poor track kennel conditions. There are around 11,722 recorded injuries for racing greyhounds. Over 3,000 dogs have suffered from broken legs, crushed skulls, broken backs, paralysis and electrocutions in both training and participating in races. More than 2,200 state disciplinary rulings have been issued since 2008. This
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(504)-280-6377
EDITORIAL
In the Florida midterm election on Nov. 6, voters banned greyhound racing and gambling. These voters approved Amendment 13, which means that Florida’s 11 racetracks will need to close by January 2021. This means that at least 6,000 dogs will need to find new homes. Greyhound racing and gambling have always been controversial for the life of the dogs, from the dog’s daily lifestyle to what happens to the dog after the race life is over. The life of a racing greyhound is very structured and rigid. A puppy will stay with its mother for eight weeks and then live at a greyhound farm with the other puppies from their litter. At five months, they are grouped into pairs and then spend the next seven months becoming leash- and muzzle-trained and learning verbal commands. At a year old, racing greyhounds are moved to a training facility located by a race track. There they face more advanced competition, get their intense schedules and go to the racetracks twice a week. By the time a greyhound is 15 to 18 months old, it will be entered
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018
data was compiled by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and their website had many more troubling statistics. It’s a Grey Area, a greyhound adoption agency in Baton Rouge, will help families sponsor dogs or adopt them and provide answers on how to best acclimate these dogs to their retired life. Other groups like GREY2K USA holds charities and rallies that support greyhounds finding a new home and getting them off the racetrack. These animals have been lived a restricted existence for years and deserve our help now.
Dylan Mininger............................................Entertainment Editor Christine Bourgeois.....................................Distribution Manager Kimberly Williams..................................................Visuals Director Nate Nguyen................................................................Layout Editor Brennan Probst...........................................................Photographer Matt Stennis.........................................................Business Manager Missy Wilkinson...................................................................Adviser
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