2/7/2019

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Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019

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Founders Day 2019 introduces Give to Blue Day Alyssa Bosse Reporter

This founders day, ISU is making history with the announcement of the first annual Give to Blue Day. The focus of this year Founders day is “Give to Blue Day” to Give to Blue Day is the first annual university wide day of giving.

The day will be a 24-hour fundraising event; it will go from midnight to midnight on March 13.

This day will celebrate ISU and allow the community to increase philanthropic support.

Hilary Duncan, director of annual giving was one of the speakers at the Founders Day event.

“Founders Day celebrates our history of the institution and today we talked about how we can move forward as a institution and increasing philanthropic support for our students is the direction were going,” said Duncan. “Indiana State publicly announced a university wide intuitive in support of our students, called Give to Blue Day.” Junior Makayla Walker, one of the students on the Give to Blue Day said, “This is the first year we came up with the event and it’s been really fun to play a part. Give to Blue Day will become an event that will happen every year, we are going to make a website where Faculty, students, staff, alumni, anyone can donate to bridge the gap of financial need for students. I am excited to see the outcome of the fundraiser and hopefully will be able to help with it again next year” Samantha Layug | Indiana Statesman Anyone is invited to participate and can doIndiana State President, Dr. Deborah Cutris, speaks at the Founders Day event tht was rescheduled due to inclement nate a gift of any size; the goal is for 1,000 donors weather in January. to participate in the event.

Snapchat halts decline in users Sam Dean

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Snap Inc. has been facing crumbling investor confidence for months amid a decline in the number of users on its Snapchat platform and a series of high-profile executive departures.

But in its fourth-quarter earnings statement, released Tuesday, the company showed some signs a turnaround might be coming soon.

Snap put a stop to the downward trend in user numbers that had plagued it since mid-2018, posting a stable user base of 186 million daily Snapchatters in the last quarter of 2018. The 2018 dip was widely ascribed to an unpopular redesign of the Santa Monica firm’s disappearing-video app in early 2018, combined with a long delay in updating the company’s clunky Android offering.

Revenue has increased steadily as the company more effectively monetizes its users’ eyeballs with improved ad products. Snap brought in $390 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, up from $297 million in the third quarter and $262 million in the second quarter, totaling $1.2 billion in 2018. The company is not yet profitable, though losses improved from $325 million in the third quarter of 2018 to $192 million in the fourth quarter.

Snapchat’s shrinking user numbers, combined with its loss of top executives and a looming Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into whether the company misled investors on the question of competition from Facebook’s Instagram service, had shaken investor confidence in the company.

Snap stock, which debuted at $27.09 per share at its March 2017 initial public offering, has lost nearly half its value in the last year. But

in the minutes following the release of the company’s fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday, its stock surged more than 20 percent to $8.46 in after-market trading.

In a call with analysts, interim Chief Financial Officer Lara Sweet said that the company would probably see a dip in revenue for the beginning of 2019 after the high-traffic holiday season, but she was “cautiously optimistic” that user numbers would remain stable.

Some analysts emphasized the cautious half of that sentiment.

“The reality is the stock was one of the worst performing names in the last year. It got completely washed out,” said Brent Thill, an analyst with Jeffries. “I would say this is a step in the right direction, but there is a long way to go — this is effectively step one of a 10-step diet plan.”

But others leaned toward uncut optimism.

Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said he was glad to see the stable user numbers quell concerns that the success of Instagram had stolen Snapchat’s user base.

“The bears concluded that Instagram Stories’ growth came at Snap’s expense,” Pachter said. “They’re wrong, and Snap proved that today with a stable (daily active user) number.”

An updated and more responsive Android version of Snapchat is seen as key to moving beyond stability to user growth. On the call, Snap Chief Executive Evan Spiegel reassured investors that the company has shifted “most of our resources internally” to building the long-awaited Android app revamp, code-named “Mushroom.” He added that it’s showing speed improvements in early tests and is already being deployed to a small percentage of users.

“I will say I’m very excited about the Android opportunity,” Spiegel said. “There’s roughly 2 billion peo-

ple who are on Android and don’t have Snapchat, so if we can take a few percent market share there, it’d make a real difference to our user base.”

Now Snap’s task is to start making more money off its millions of users.

The company’s user base remains large by any standard — Snap reports that it was able to reach 70 percent of the entire U.S. population between the ages of 13 and 34 with video ads each month. But Snap charges far less for ads than its rival Instagram, whose Stories video feature is widely seen as a clone of Snapchat’s platform.

Snap ads cost around $1.25 per thousand impressions, while Instagram’s Stories ads cost more than $5 for the same. On a recent call with investors, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said Stories ads are currently underpriced, pointing to a possible path for Snap’s similar offerings to start generating more cash.

Twitter, a similarly struggling competitor, is on track to bring in close to $3 billion in revenue in 2018, with an estimated daily active user base smaller than Snap’s.

“If Twitter can do $3 billion, so can Snap,” Pachter said.

As the company pushes for a goal of full-year profitability in 2019, it will do so with some big gaps in top leadership roles.

At least 11 senior Snappers have headed for the exits in the last six months, including Tim Stone, who left a job at Amazon to serve as Snap’s chief financial officer for just eight months before leaving in January.

In the face of that exodus, Spiegel struck a positive tone. “If we look at the development of the leadership team over the last year, it made a massive difference in the business and for me personally,” Spiegel said.

“Now I’m freed up to do what I love on the product side.”

Kristofer Tripplaar | Sipa USA | TNS

Snapchat is adding game scores and verified weather information as filters.

Indiana Statesman

A student jumps into a pool of cold water in early 2018 in front of the Student Recreation Center.

ISU students plunge for philanthropy Nicole Nunez Reporter

This Saturday, many teams from Indiana State University’s Greek life will be plunging into a pool of freezing water for a good cause. The Polar Plunge is a nationwide event to support the Special Olympics and will do more than just freeze off the toes of many ISU students.

“Polar Plunge began in Coney Island where people raised money for nonprofit organizations. On a specific day in the middle of winter they jumped into the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean,” said Alpha Sigma Alpha Philanthropy Chairman, Casey Wolfschlag. “Each year, the organization has more participants and raises more funds to donate to Special Olympics.”

Each team had to pay to participate in the plunge and all of the proceeds will go to the Special Olympics.

Many teams are from Greek life on campus and make the event entertaining by having themed outfits.

The event will be open to all ISU students to watch

this Saturday from 10 a.m.

- 12 p.m. Students are encouraged to come witness the frivolous pool jumping and help support a great cause. “Special Olympics have given many kids, and young adults new chances in life and it’s amazing to be a part of something that helps change so many people’s lives,” said Wolfschlag.

Being the Philanthropy Chairman, Wolfschlag is immersed in the Polar Plunge experience and is able to see its true impact.

She has been working to get students involved with the event, so it will be as effective and exciting as it can be. ”…for Polar Plunge I am one of the students who helps set up the event and tear down. I have also had all my sisters join the ASA Polar Plunge team. We will all be jumping this Saturday.

I have also been very involved with getting kids on campus signed up including other Greek and FSL members,” said Wolfschlag.

Although there is a lot of planning, logistics and hard work that is put into

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NEWS

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Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019

What president got right and what he got wrong Jim Puzzanghera and Molly O’Toole

Los Angles Times (TNS)

The annual State of the Union address is a chance for the president to deliver his vision and policy priorities — and sometimes exaggerate or outright misstate his accomplishments and the reasons for taking policy actions.

Here’s a look at what President Donald Trump got right and what he got wrong Tuesday night.

ECONOMIC GROWTH What Trump said: “In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom — a boom that has rarely been seen before.

There’s been nothing like it.”

The facts: Economic growth accelerated last year as the Republican tax cuts took effect, putting the economy on track to top 3 percent annual growth for the first time since 2005. The partial government shutdown delayed the fourth-quarter data to confirm that.

The best year during the Obama administration was 2.9 percent in 2015. Experts said the U.S. economy was better in the late 1960s and 1990s.

But the initial stimulus from the tax cuts, which included slashing the corporate rate, began to fade in the second half of 2018. After expanding at a 4.2 percent annual rate in the second quarter last year, growth slowed to 3.4 percent in the third quarter and the consensus fourth-quarter forecast is about 2.6 percent.

The Federal Reserve is projecting 2.3 percent growth this year and 2 percent growth in 2020.

Some economists are more pessimistic and said a recession could

Olivier Douliery | Abaca Press | TNS

President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of the Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019.

hit in 2020.

ENERGY What Trump said: “We have unleashed a revolution in American energy — the United States is now the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas in the world. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy.”

The facts: The U.S. is the world’s No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas. But the nation actually imports more energy than it exports — and has done so since 1953.

This could change soon but hasn’t yet. According to a recent Energy Department forecast, the country is expected to be a net

exporter of coal, oil and natural gas by 2020.

THE WALL What Trump said: “In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall—but the proper wall never got built. I’ll get it built.”

The facts: Customs and Border Protection spent about $2.3 billion between fiscal 2007 and 2015 to increase barriers on the border from 119 miles to 654 miles, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Congress has appropriated nearly $1 billion in the last two years for about 50 miles of replacement fencing in California,

Spotify acquires New York podcasting companies Gimlet and Anchor Wendy Lee

Los Angles Times (TNS)

Spotify said Wednesday it would acquire New York podcasting companies Gimlet Media and Anchor FM Inc., establishing itself as a major player in podcasting, a once-nascent category that has emerged as a booming industry.

The Swedish music company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal but said it planned to spend $400 million to $500 million on podcast-related acquisitions this year, a total that includes the Anchor and Gimlet purchases as well as other deals Spotify is pursuing.

Spotify says podcast listeners spend twice as much time on the platform and that the medium has helped bring in new users. CEO Daniel Ek said he believed that eventually more than 20 percent of all time spent on Spotify would be on non-music content.

“While podcasting is still a relatively small business today, I see incredible growth potential in this space,” Ek said on a call with investors Wednesday morning.

The deal was announced at the same time the streaming-music platform released its fourth-quarter earnings.

The company posted net income of $502.9 million, compared with a loss of $678.1 million a year ago. The company also recorded its first-ever quarterly operating profit at $107 million.

Revenue was up 30 percent to nearly $1.7 billion for the quarter.

The push into podcasting comes as Spotify seeks to increase the amount of content in its platform, as rivals in the streaming-music space are closing in on its lead.

Spotify, launched in 2008, lets users stream their chosen audio for free with ads or ad-free with a subscription. In the fourth quarter, Spotify had 207 million monthly active users and 96 million premium subscribers. But competitors including Apple Music, which launched in 2015, have steadily grown, with more than 50 million paid subscribers.

With its podcast acquisitions, Spotify has the potential to provide exclusive non-music content in a way that is similar to Netflix providing exclusive shows on its platform, analysts said.

“This is just a huge move,” said BTIG Research media analyst Rich Greenfield.

“Exclusives in the music world just do not work. Podcasting exclusives absolutely can work, especially in a scaled platform.”

Analysts said that Spotify investing in podcasting would bring more legitimacy to an audio medium that was growing but had become increasingly more difficult to navigate for users. Many people today find

podcasts through Apple’s Podcast app, but Spotify has the potential to emerge as a major podcast player especially within the Android operating system, which is used by vastly more mobile-device users worldwide.

“We have the opportunity to make original content the way Netflix does and to utilize the catalog content we have in the platform to help bring people to the podcast space,” said Dawn Ostroff, Spotify’s chief content officer in an interview.

In its earnings letter to shareholders, Spotify said podcasts were part of its strategy for faster revenue growth. The acquisitions may also help reduce the money that Spotify pays to labels by cutting it music-streaming fees, some analysts said.

“If the Spotify listener converts from 100 percent music to even 90 percent music, 10 percent podcasts, that’s a 10 percent decrease in checks cut to other entities on behalf of that listener,” wrote Tom Webster, a senior vice president at Edison Research in a blog post. Webster said he thought Spotify’s acquisition into podcasting also could push more labels to become more open to letting podcasts use licensed music.

Spotify executives said it would employ its most recent acquisitions to bring more content to its platform. Already, more than 185,000 podcast titles are on Spotify, and in the fourth quarter, 14 of those were exclusives.

Gimlet, based in New York, has produced several popular podcasts, including “Homecoming,” a drama about a rehabilitation program for former military members that was made into an Amazon show starring Julia Roberts. Gimlet spokesman Kevin Turner said the company’s 120 employees would be joining Spotify.

“We are still at the dawn of the second golden age of audio, and we know Spotify is a perfect partner and platform to take Gimlet — and podcasting at large — to a new level,” said Gimlet founders Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber in a statement.

Spotify and Gimlet declined to comment on the acquisition price. But a person familiar with the negotiations surrounding the deal told the L.A. Times earlier this week that the price discussed ranged from $150 million to $250 million. Gimlet had raised $27.7 million in funding, according to research firm CB Insights.

The deal is Spotify’s largest to date since its 2014 acquisition of Massachusetts music data firm the Echo Nest for $100 million, a CB Insights report shows.

Anchor, also based in New York, is a platform that provides tools for podcasters to monetize and distribute their programs.

The deals are expected to close in the first quarter.

New Mexico and Texas. Last year, lawmakers gave Trump more than $640 million for 25 miles of new levee fencing and other “to be determined” barriers.

Trump’s impasse with Congress over his demand for $5.7 billion to build about 230 more miles of walls along the border led him to force a partial shutdown of government that lasted 35 days, the longest in U.S. history.

So far, no new miles of border barrier have been completed under Trump.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION What Trump said: “I want people to come into our country

— in the largest numbers ever — but they have to come in legally.”

The facts: Apprehensions at the border, the most commonly used measure for illegal immigration, are at historic lows.

The administration also has taken unusual steps to limit legal immigration.

It has targeted asylum seekers, refugees, permanent residents and green-card holders, as well as people with temporary protection from deportation who were brought to the U.S. as children or came after disasters or conflict in their home countries.

CRISIS ON THE BORDER What Trump said: “Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate — it is cruel.

One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns.”

The facts: A border security system designed for single, adult males has been overwhelmed by rising numbers of mostly Central American families and unaccompanied minors who are seeking asylum in the United States.

But academics and advocates say Trump administration policies may be putting these women, children and families at greater risk.

In December, a federal judge blocked an administration policy that sought to stop victims of gang and domestic violence from claiming asylum in the U.S. The administration has begun forcing some asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are considered in the U.S., a dramatic shift in U.S. immigration policy. The implementation started with Tijuana—though it

FACT CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Disney studio profits drop without ‘Star Wars,’ but earnings beat Wall Street expectations Ryan Faughnder

Los Angles Times (TNS)

Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday reported lower first quarter results from its juggernaut movie studio, which for the first time in years did not release a “Star Wars” film during holidays.

But despite the earnings decline, the Burbank entertainment giant managed to beat Wall Street expectations, as the company awaits final regulatory approval for its acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets.

The numbers: Overall, Disney reported net income of $2.8 billion, or $1.86 a share, on revenue of $15.3 billion during the first quarter. Net income was down 37 percent from the same quarter a year ago, when the company earned $4.4 billion, or $2.91 a share. Revenue was flat with the prior-year quarter.

Disney said the profit decline was primarily because of the 2017 tax law backed by President Trump, which resulted in a $1.6-billion tax benefit for the company in the prior-year quarter. Excluding such factors, Disney’s earnings declined 3 percent in the quarter.

Still, the results were better than Wall Street was expecting. Analysts polled

by FactSet had projected earnings of $1.54 a share and revenue of $15.2 billion in the quarter. Disney’s stock rose in after-hours trading, having closed at $112.66.

The takeaway: The company’s film studio had comparatively lackluster results in the three months that ended in December.

Disney released “Mary Poppins Returns” in the quarter, which grossed a decent but not spectacular $329 million at the global box office. The first quarter also included the release of the big budget fantasy “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” which flopped; and the successful animated sequel “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

A year ago, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” collected $1.3 billion in global receipts.

Studio entertainment revenue fell 27 percent to $1.8 billion, while the segment’s operating income declined 63 percent to $309 million.

However, operating income from Disney’s media networks business, which includes ABC and ESPN, grew 7 percent to $1.3 billion, thanks to higher broadcasting revenue.

The company’s parks business continued its strong run, with profit in its parks and consumer products segment rising 10 percent to $2.2 billion on revenue of $6.8 billion.

The outlook: Analysts on Disney’s earnings call continued to focus on Chief Executive Bob Iger’s plans to integrate 21st Century Fox assets, and the coming launch of its Disney+ streaming service meant to compete with Netflix.

Disney’s broader streaming strategy, which includes sports network ESPN and its stake in Hulu, is a key initiative for Iger and was a major driver of the deal to buy much of Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment portfolio for $71 billion.

The company has made some strides in online video already. Iger on the call touted growth of the ESPN+ sports streaming service that launched in April, saying the app now had 2 million paid subscribers, up from 1 million in September.

Disney is expected to spend heavily on content and marketing for Disney+, which will include new movies and shows from brands including “Star Wars,” Pixar, Marvel and Fox’s National Geographic. The company’s new direct-to-consumer and international segment posted a loss of $136 million in the quarter, thanks to investment in Disney+ and the push behind ESPN+. Disney+ is expected to launch late this year.

“This is a bet on the future of this business,” Iger said. “And we are deploying our capital basically so that long term the growth of this company is stronger than it would have been without these investments.”

Iger also signaled that Disney won’t quash Fox’s R-rated “Deadpool” series once the foul-mouthed Marvel hero joins the more family friendly superheroes at the company — as long as the content is branded in a way that doesn’t confuse the audience’s squeaky clean image of Disney.

“We’re going to continue in that business,” Iger said.

indianastatesman.com

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 • Page 3

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the event- the reward in priceless. “The feeling you get over yourself when you know you’ve helped raise so much money for an amazing cause is a feeling you need to experience,” said Wolfschlag.

“Polar Plunge gives kids who have special needs or disabilities a chance to be more involved in the community, their athletic ability and gives them a chance to boost their confidence.”

The event is much more than students simply dressing up and jumping into a frigid pool, it is an annual philanthropic event that gives children with disabilities a time to shine.

“This world needs more positive people who are willing to go to earths end to support causes that benefit everyone and that all starts with one leap. Being a part of any campus organizations is important, so why not be a part of one that helps change lives?” Wolfschlag said.

suffers from high crime and violence.

NORTH KOREA What Trump said: “If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed.”

The facts: In 2017 and early 2018, Trump traded insults and threats with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that sparked fears of an all-out war.

Nimble diplomacy by South Korea’s president helped arrange a way out. Trump and Kim met in June in Singapore and agreed to seek “full denuclearization of the Korean pen-

insula,” although U.S. officials admit that has not begun.

ISLAMIC STATE What Trump said: “Today we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers.”

The facts: Top U.S. intelligence and military officials say Islamic State remains a potent threat even though it has lost most of the territory it once controlled.

Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, told Congress last week that Islamic State “is intent on resurging and still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria.”

BORDER TROOPS What Trump said: “I have ordered another 3,750 troops

to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught.”

The facts: Trump first sent active duty troops to the border a week before the Nov. 6 midterm elections, raising concerns in the Pentagon and in Congress that he was using the military for partisan political purposes.

About 2,300 troops are now posted near border crossings, down from about 5,900 in November, to help the Border Patrol.

On Sunday, the Pentagon said it would send another 3,750 troops to help reinforce barriers and monitor crossings. That would bring the total to about 6,000, close to the

original deployment.

DRUG PRICES What Trump said: “Already, as a result of my administration’s efforts, in 2018 drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 years.”

The facts: Federal data show that overall per-capita spending on prescription drugs declined in 2017, though not as much as spending went down in several previous years, including 2010 and 2012.

But projections suggest drug spending is once again increasing as prices continue to shoot upward. In January, pharmaceutical companies hiked prices on more than 250 prescription drugs, according to a Reuters analysis.

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Meet your fellow ISU Sycamores

Dossier by Cheyenne Fauquher Photos by Anna Bartley

Freshman Name: Kaylee Rippeon Birthday: March 9, 2000 Hometown: Bloomington, IL Major: Business Minty or fruity gum: Minty If you could have a super power, what would it be: Invisibility

Sophomore Name: Andres Caneon Birthday: April 13, 1997 Hometown: St. Columbia Major: Undecided Minty or fruity gum: Fruity If you could have a super power, what would it be: Fly

Junior Name: BraJae Allen Birthday: November 24, 1997 Hometown: Indianapolis Major: Tech Styles Apparel and Merchandising Minty or fruity gum: Minty If you could have a super power, what would it be: Telekinesis

Senior Name: Kade Carter Birthday: August 22, 1996 Hometown: Brazil, IN Major: Mechanical Engineering and Technology Minty or fruity gum: Fruity If you could have a super power, what would it be: Fly

‘The Prodigy’ filmmakers play tricks with evil-kid movies Sonaiya Kelley

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

In the new horror movie “The Prodigy,” out Friday, a mother’s love is put to the test when her precocious young son begins to exhibit signs of an otherworldly possession.

Despite the spooky overtones, the mother-child dynamic at the heart of the film inspired scriptwriter Jeff Buhler’s wife to organize a special screening for an unsuspecting audience.

“On opening weekend, she’s organizing like 30 moms from my kid’s school to go see this movie,” said Buhler with a laugh.

“She’s telling them it’s all about parenting and they’re all excited to come. And then we’ll be changing schools next year.”

We’re standing in front of the Tommy Doyle house from John Carpenter’s 1978 genre classic “Halloween,” a large but unremarkable Dutch Colonial just north of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and one of several spots on a tour of horror movie locations in the area. “‘Halloween’ was probably one of the trigger points for me that anchored me in the genre,” said Buhler. “I remember being too young to go to a rated-R movie when it came out but sneaking in with my sister and friends who were older. It was one of those experiences when I knew immediately that I was not prepared for what I was going to see.

“What Carpenter did that was so genius, and that you can see throughout the genre since then, was take suburban fami-

Rafy | Orion Pictures | TNS

Jackson Robert Scott and Taylor Schilling in the film “The Prodigy.”

ly life and insert horror and danger into it.

And that’s sort of the touchstone of ‘The Prodigy,’ that idea of taking safe places or relationships and inserting some form of threat into it.”

In the film, “Orange Is the New Black” star Taylor Schilling plays Sarah, a firsttime mom whose gifted young son Miles (Jackson Robert Scott) begins to develop a disturbingly unpredictable dark side. For Buhler and director Nicholas McCarthy, it was just as important to focus on the pitfalls of new parenthood as it was to pack

in the scares.

“There’s a lot of pressure in our society and also a lot of anticipation that people have for what it’s going to be like to be a parent and how exciting that change is in your life,” said Buhler.

“We wanted to explore this idea of a young couple that had really worked hard to get to this place and the cherry on top would be that they are having their first child. And then the flip side of that is that when you have a child, you never know who that person is going to be. You’re ba-

21 Savage’s lawyers say ICE ‘provided incorrect information’ Ella Torres

sically inviting a stranger, a person you’ve never met before, to live with you for the rest of your life.”

“And that’s the mistake I think all parents make,” joked McCarthy, whose previous genre work includes the indies “The Pact” and “At the Devil’s Door.” “But it’s true that if you think you know what being a parent is going to be like, you have no idea. It was one of the first things I responded to when I read the script. But it also feels like a metaphor for working in Hollywood.”

“It does?” asked Buhler. “How so?”

“You have all your hopes and dreams, all your ideas about how it’s going to go and then you just have your soul crushed by a murderous sociopath.” They burst into laughter.

“There’s one other metaphor that we talked about while we were working on this project, which was the anxiety as a parent that you feel for your child,” chimed in producer Tripp Vinson. “And if you’ve noticed or are concerned that something’s wrong, what does that do to you? What does that do to your marriage?”

“Not only are you inviting a stranger in, but you’re inviting change into yourself that you can’t predict,” added Buhler. “And you have to just make the leap. With a horror movie, what you’re doing is taking those things that everybody understands and exaggerating them to a place where they really start to make you think about ever having children. Our goal with this

7 new books to read during Black History Month Tom Beer

New York Daily News (TNS)

Newsday (TNS)

Lawyers for 21 Savage slammed ICE for its treatment of the rapper, saying the agency “provided incorrect information” to the public about his criminal record and is detaining him “for no legal reason.”

“Mr. Abraham-Joseph has no criminal convictions or charges under state or federal law and is free to seek relief from removal in immigration court,” his six-person legal counsel said in a statement released late Tuesday.

“There continues to be no legal reason to detain Mr. Abraham-Joseph for a civil law violation that occurred when he was a minor, especially when people in his exact situation are routinely released by ICE,” it continued.

21 Savage’s real name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph.

The Atlanta-based rapper was arrested Sunday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after it emerged he was actually from the UK and was staying in the

Is there a better way to observe Black History Month than reading a book? Here are eight recently published works of nonfiction and biography that illuminate the African-American experience.

‘BARRACOON’ BY ZORA NEALE HURSTON In the late 1920s, Zora Neale Hurston, best known for her novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” interviewed Cudjo Lewis, an octogenarian born in Africa and brought to America aboard the last slave ship to have made the transatlantic journey.

“Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo”” — the title comes from the Spanish word for the barracks where enslaved Africans were held — presents Cudjo’s epic, heartbreaking story in his own voice, employing his colorful Southern dialect.

Rejected by publishers during Hurston’s lifetime, this classic was finally published in 2018.

Brian van der Brug | Los Angeles Times | TNS

Rapper 21 Savage performs on stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on June 27, 2018.

country with an expired visa, the department said.

His lawyers continue to argue that the government knew of his immigration status.

“He has never hidden from DHS or any of its agencies,” they said.

They also provided background on his history.

21 Savage arrived legally in the United States at the age of seven and remained here until 2005, when he was a teenager, accord-

ing to his lawyers.

“He returned to the United States under a valid H-4 visa on July 22, 2005. Mr. Abraham-Joseph has been continuously physically present in the United States for almost 20 years, except for a brief visit abroad. Unfortunately, in 2006 Mr. Abraham-Joseph’s legal status expired through no fault of his own.”

The rapper allegedly has a

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(Amistad, $24.99) ‘UNEXAMPLED COURAGE’ BY RICHARD GERGEL In February of 1946, Sgt. Isaac Woodard — a uniformed African-American soldier decorated for World War II service — was beaten and blinded by the police chief of a small South Carolina town, after a dispute with the driver of a Greyhound bus. The policeman was acquitted by an all-white jury, but the case inspired the judge, who went on to issue important civil rights decisions, and President Harry S. Truman, who formed a committee on civil rights and would ultimately desegregate the armed services. The author is himself a district judge in Charleston, South Carolina. (FSG, $27) ‘FREDERICK DOUGLASS’

BY DAVID W. BLIGHT One of the great figures of 19th century American history now has the monumental biography he deserves. Born a slave in Maryland in 1818 (his father was an unknown white man), Fred-

BOOKS CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

indianastatesman.com PRODIGY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 movie was not to depress the birth rate, but it’s as important to focus on what’s happening with Sarah and the changes that she goes through in her marriage [as what happens with Miles].”

“The Prodigy” falls squarely into the evil or creepy kid subgenre of horror that was pioneered by movies like “The Bad Seed” (1956) and “Village of the Damned” (1960).

“If you look at these movies collectively, these stories almost feel like parables from the Bible,” said McCarthy. “They feel like these moral object lessons where we’re being asked, ‘What would you do if your child was capable of something awful?’”

Though the film’s premise feels predictable, there is a twist in the third act that horror audiences will not see coming, something the filmmakers hope will quell the comparisons to memorable contemporary films in the genre such as “The Omen” and “The Good Son.” “We didn’t want to end on one of the big tropes of the genre where an expert char-

21 SAVAGE FROM PAGE 4 pending U-Visa application, eligible for people who have been the victim of a crime. He applied in 2017.

His lawyer’s touched on speculation of “possible ulterior motives” for 21 Savage’s arrest, noting new lyrics he released “condemning the behavior of immigration officials for their detention of children at the border.”

In his appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” days before his arrest, he per-

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 • Page 5 acter comes in and then there’s some kind of ritual that makes everything go away,” said Buhler. “It was really important to us to find a departure from that.”

“But it doesn’t end well,” Vinson said.

“That’s the spoiler.”

“They never end well,” McCarthy said.

“All those movies end with the destruction of the parent. They’re about the transformation you are forced into when you have a child. You have to accept that your life has vanished, or whatever version you thought you had of your world will be destroyed.”

Another goal of the filmmakers was to create a movie that fit into the landscape of “elevated horror,” which conjures the bulk of its fear factor out of realistic settings and ideas.

“We wanted to keep everything grounded in the real world and to tell a story that felt like it could really happen,” said Buhler. “And I think that fits into a lot of what’s happening right now in the genre.”

One of the ways they sought to accomplish that was to inject horror themes into

formed his new song “A Lot” with an added line.

“Been through some things, but I couldn’t imagine my kids stuck at the border (Straight up),” he rapped.

“We are unaware of why ICE apparently targeted Mr. Abraham-Joseph, but we will do everything possible to legally seek his release and pursue his available relief in immigration court,” the letter concluded.

ICE did not immediately respond to the Daily News for comment.

Read the Statesman on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s

settings and institutions that people inherently associate with safety and familiarity.

“There’s a million horror movies, and they’re all set in these suburban houses or very familiar locations,” Vinson said.

“When we were working on this, that was very specific. We wanted this movie to take place in a neighborhood that you could recognize.”

The filmmakers drew inspiration from Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” with respect to sneaking social commentary into the oft-disparaged horror genre.

“Horror as a genre has always been sort of the stepchild, and it’s rarely critically revered,” said Buhler. “Now it feels like what we refer to as ‘elevated horror’ has started to creep back into appreciation by mainstream press and critics, but that’s relatively new.”

“When you look at the success of a movie like ‘Get Out,’ which is reflecting horror that exists in our society, in a sense we’re looking in a mirror at all these things that are very difficult for people to talk about,” he said. “Genre allows you to explore it be-

BOOKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 erick Douglass escaped captivity in 1838 and settled in the North, becoming a legendary orator and abolitionist. His three autobiographies, including “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” became classic accounts of slavery. Yale historian David W. Blight captures the many sides of this complex man, charting his political evolution and family life, including his relationships with two women activists. (Simon & Schuster, $37.50) ‘TIGERLAND: 1968-1969’ BY WIL HAYGOOD This chronicle of the 1968-69 season for two Columbus, Ohio, high school sports teams cries out for a movie adaptation. (The author’s reporting for The Washington Post already inspired the movie “The Butler.”) The East High Tigers basketball team competes to recapture the state championship, but the underdog Tigers baseball team rides the book’s real dramatic arc, as they rise through the ranks to defeat an all-white team from Upper Arlington High in the state finals. Along the way, Haygood offers a vivid sense

cause you take this leap of faith like, ‘Oh, we’re in this crazy world where crazy stuff happens.’”

“It’s almost controversial to say, ‘Having a child could be a mistake, or dangerous,’” he added. “Like, that’s not something you can talk about. And so genre allows you to sort of hold up a mirror that makes people think about their own feelings. I think there’s a wave of genre films that are doing that really well right now, and I would say we sort of fit into that universe.”

“Well, we hope to,” Vinson said.

“One of the things that I’m most proud of in the movie is it’s not a sequel or a remake,” said McCarthy. “It can be great to watch a movie that is revisiting old ground, but along with this culture of remakes and reboots there’s clearly, I think, an appetite for new stories. When I first saw the poster for our movie at the Arclight, every other movie in the line of posters was a sequel or a remake. And the top of our poster did not say, ‘The next chapter in “The Conjuring” universe’ or something like that. I feel like that’s a feat.”

of the African-American community of East Columbus — the parents, pastors and local businessmen who cheered the Tigers on to victory. (Alfred A. Knopf, $27.95) ‘LOOKING FOR LORRAINE’

BY IMANI PERRY Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965) is best remembered today for her groundbreaking 1959 play “A Raisin in the Sun.” But this book by a professor of African American Studies at Princeton offers a wider context for Hansberry’s accomplishment — examining her Depression-era Chicago upbringing, her radical politics and activism, her lesbianism and her marriage to a man, her friendships with figures such as James Baldwin and Nina Simone, her early death from pancreatic cancer. Not a fullfledged cradle-to-grave biography (one is apparently in the works), “Looking for Lorraine” is a passionate homage to a black cultural icon.

(Beacon Press, $26.95) ‘INVISIBLE’ BY STEPHEN L. CARTER The author of such novels as “The Emperor of Ocean Park” and “Palace Council” here turns to nonfiction with a portrait of his remarkable

grandmother, Eunice Hunton Carter (1899-1970). Subtitled “The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster,” the book chronicles how a married Harlem mother enrolled in Fordham Law School — the rare institution that would accept a black woman at the time — and earned a law degree in 1932. She was hired by prosecutor (and future presidential candidate) Thomas Dewey to probe mob activity, leading to a prosecution of Lucky Luciano. (Henry Holt, $30) ‘ARTHUR ASHE: A LIFE’ BY RAYMOND ARSENAULT In 1993, the African-American tennis champ who won three Grand Slam titles died of AIDS at the age of 49, having contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. This biography sheds light on a tennis pioneer, the best-known black player of his time, who learned the game growing up in segregated Richmond, Virginia, and went on to integrate the sport at the highest levels — while also advocating for civil rights and challenging apartheid in South Africa. (Simon & Schuster, $37.50)

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OPINION

Page 6

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019

Joe Burbank | Orlando Sentinel | TNS

Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (right) celebrate with Mickey Mouse in the Super Bowl victory parade in the Magic Kingdom on Monday, February 4, 2019 at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Shane Dawson Conspiracies – Part 2 Erin Bradshaw Reporter

Continuing where we left off, is the conspiracy of Walt Disney being frozen in the basements of Disney World. This theory is rated a 4/5 for validity. This specific theory is that Disney made the movie, Frozen to hide the fact that Walt Disney is frozen. The reason for this is so that when people google “Disney Frozen” looking for the man’s body, they instead now stumble on the movie, Frozen. Nobody knows if this is true or not, but Shane explains Disney wanted this so he could be revived in the future. Now, this isn’t a completely farfetched idea. Scientists often freeze species of animals and bring them back to life. For example, the wood frog. This creature can be completely flat lined with no brain or heart activity and come back to life. Even more magnificent, a Pennsylvania man was

found frozen and after days, his heart started beating again when heat was introduced.

The next theory is subliminal messages in stores. This has a high rating with 4.5/5. This goes far beyond advertising at its core. Companies advertise giant out of business sales and send out coupons in mass. Even further, they sometimes use color schemes. It is said that red and yellow attract the eye. This would explain McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and many more.

There was even a green dollar bill hidden in the lettuce of a KFC sandwich commercial. It is reported that when KFC got called out for this stunt, they claimed it to be a competition to find the hidden dollar bill. Following the commercial, there still has been no prize or reward for finding the symbol. Shane says, this may be subliminal messaging from the companies trying to get you to think about how low their prices are. Besides the food industry,

there is a peculiar coincidence with watch or clock advertisements. The time always seems to be set to 10:10. This can be seen in advertisements, movies, etc. It’s supposed that this time makes a sort of smiley face which subliminally makes you want to buy it because of its association with happiness.

Continuing with advertisements the popular phrase “sex sells” comes into play. Shane shows the cover of a magazine called, “SFX”, but looks like it says SEX because they strategically place celebrities in front of the F. Now this wouldn’t be as big of an issue, except it involves kids. The cast of Stranger Things was placed on the cover of this magazine and they as well were placed over the letter. Everywhere we turn there are subliminal messages whether you can see, hear, or smell it. Many grocery stores use these senses to their advantage. For example, many stores place the bakery at

Psychiatric patients need hospital beds, not jail cells Editorial Board

Los Angles Times (TNS)

Los Angeles County leaders often call their jail system the nation’s largest mental hospital, and to our great collective shame, they are correct.

The jails are where we dump thousands of people who really ought to be in psychiatric hospitals, community-based rehabilitation programs or supportive housing. Those facilities were supposed to be built decades ago to replace state mental institutions, which too often served as abusive warehouses for society’s sick and unwanted. The state institutions closed on cue — but precious few of the humane, treatment-oriented alternatives were ever built.

So now we “house” much of the mentally ill population on the street, until breakdowns or other crises lead to confrontations and criminal charges. Then they go to jail.

The proportion of L.A. County jail inmates with diagnosed mental health disorders currently hovers at about one in three. That means that more than 5,000 psychiatric patients are locked up in facilities meant to punish crimes or hold dangerous people until their trial dates.

For years, county leaders have reasoned that if their jails were going to be virtual mental hospitals, they might as well be competent ones.

They knew that the decrepit Men’s Central Jail north of downtown L.A., once described by a federal judge as “inconsistent with human values,” must be torn down.

So they proposed replacing it with a “Consolidated Correctional Treatment Facility” designed specifically for mental healthcare. In 2015, the Board of Supervisors voted to move forward. But even as they did

so, the supervisors showed little enthusiasm, perhaps because of the nagging thought that they were taking the wrong route and could do better. But how?

Just before the jail vote, Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey presented them with a blueprint for diverting mentally ill arrestees from jail altogether. In response, the supervisors created and funded an Office of Diversion and Reentry.

Meanwhile, activist groups such as Dignity and Power Now and the Youth Justice Coalition have become increasingly effective at articulating the folly — the immorality — of spending money and constructing cells to lock up people who should be in care, not in jail.

What difference does it make, supervisors once asked, whether a patient is treated in a jail staffed with psychiatrists and clinicians or a secure — meaning locked — psychiatric hospital that necessarily includes law enforcement personnel?

But a growing chorus of experts is pointing out that it actually makes a huge difference. In hospitals, patient misbehavior is handled by mental health teams equipped with an assortment of care-oriented responses geared toward improving behavior and encouraging recovery or at least better management of symptoms. In a jail, even one with doctors on hand, sheriff ’s deputies with little or no training in psychiatric care respond to misbehavior as they are trained — with force and isolation, both of which generally exacerbate mental illness and produce poor results, including increased recidivism.

Jail or prison will no doubt remain the most appropriate place for some of the most

dangerous inmates, and the county has plenty of space in numerous jails. But many patients should be diverted to treatment.

In beginning to take on homelessness, the current Board of Supervisors concentrated on a crucial piece of a societal puzzle that had been neglected or mishandled for decades. Now the other pieces are coming into focus, and it is increasingly apparent how intimately they lock together — homelessness, mental health, addiction, public safety and justice.

It’s now time to complete the puzzle.

The supervisors seem to sense the possibilities — and the tragic consequences of thinking too small. Mark Ridley-Thomas ordered a study intended to determine the full potential of mental health diversion from jail. Kathryn Barger called for a needs assessment of mental hospitals and shorter-term reentry care. Hilda Solis is studying an intriguing and innovative restorative care village at the L.A. County-USC medical campus. The board all but killed a plan to lock up female inmates hours away from families and support, and will look for better solutions.

What’s called for now is to say “no” to the mental health jail — and to instead create a road map for real mental healthcare of a scope and at a scale commensurate with the county’s needs. The time for the Consolidated Correctional Treatment Facility has come and gone. This most progressive Board of Supervisors must end the unconscionable use of jail in place of treatment for the mentally ill. It is the great unfinished task of a generation. It is the reason they are here.

the front of the store to lure the customers with the sweet smell of goods. This also applies at Disney World. For those who have been to the wondrous theme park, you know the smells of sweets and desserts are pumped out of the buildings to get you to buy what they’re selling.

Not only grocery stores, but clothing stores have a way of influencing you to buy their items as well. It is speculated that certain stores employees are trained to be rude to you. The idea is if they’re sort of condescending, you will want to prove yourself that you can buy their items and by that thinking, you end up buying the products. A store widely known for their interesting layout is Hollister. Many of us used to shop there in middle school and high school. Have you ever noticed how dark and loud it is when you enter? You can hardly see anything with the dim lighting throughout the store. The loud music is thought to disori-

ent you and therefore you’ll buy over priced items without really thinking about your purchase.

You can also see the half-naked models posted around the store.

However, Hollister has recently been rebranded. This was the result of a few lawsuits which ended in front of the Supreme Court.

After these lawsuits, the former CEO stepped down. He would voice his opinion about people who weren’t a size 0 or his views on gay people. There are many former employees who have voiced their experience on YouTube. They say that they were told not to talk to “unattractive” people. Even the people of color who were hired or people who were deemed unattractive, were made to work in the back and not out on the sales floor.

The next article will be the final part to the Shane Dawson Conspiracies.

Trump’s dangerous ignorance Gregory F. Treverton Los Angles Times (TNS)

Having worked in the U.S. intelligence community for decades, I know all too well how much presidents dislike bad news. But when Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel and their colleagues presented the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment to Congress last week, they had to stand up to a president who wants only good news, and only about himself.

Delivering the report before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Coats and Haspel stressed the growing cyberthreat from Russia and China. They also concluded that North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear arsenal, while Iran is not, for now, building a bomb. The latter assertions contradict two of President Trump’s foreign policy initiatives.

For openly disagreeing with the president — a virtually unprecedented move among recent intelligence chiefs — Coats and Haspel received a familiar response from Trump via Twitter: “They are wrong!”

The episode reveals an administration that doesn’t understand even the basics of national intelligence and so risks stumbling into a dangerous crisis.

I oversaw the preparation of several threat assessments as chair of the National Intelligence Council during the Obama administration.

In my time, we provided an advance copy to the president’s national security advisor. (If presidents don’t like bad news, they detest surprises.) But Trump isn’t a reader, so perhaps he didn’t know what was coming.

In any case, the advance copy was intended for informational purposes only. We weren’t soliciting comments, let alone corrections. The assessment is made by the intelligence community. Policymakers, including presidents, can disagree with it, but they cannot change it. The fundamental distinction between intelligence and policy eludes Trump.

The closest modern parallel is Richard Nixon, who came into office deeply skeptical of intelligence.

But Nixon simply ignored the intelligence information he received. He didn’t publicly disparage it or seek to change it. And he surely didn’t lecture intelligence leaders, much less suggest, as Trump did, that they needed to go back to school.

One president I served, Jimmy Carter, didn’t like what we had to say about the effects of drawing down U.S. troops in Korea, a step he had wanted to take. In the end, Carter heeded our words and didn’t act.

Similarly, President Obama didn’t much like our rather dark forecasts of Afghanistan’s future, but I think they played some role in his decision not to reduce U.S. troops there as quickly as he wanted.

Intelligence officials hear from presidential administrations when their prognoses turn out to be wrong. Feedback comes with the turf. Obama’s national security advisor, Susan Rice, and her colleagues were hardly silent when we failed to predict the collapse of the Iraqi army in 2014.

Later, we correctly anticipated that Russia would up the ante in Syria in 2015, but we had expected more weapons and training, not major combat units. We apologized to Obama, but he waved us off. Several weeks of warning wouldn’t have mattered, Obama said, because he wasn’t going to war with Russia over Syria.

Trump’s ignorance on national intelligence and his administration’s lack of process are deeply troubling.

Perhaps there were too many meetings of the interagency policy committees during the Obama administration, but now there are way too few.

Intelligence meetings give the leaders of the various national security departments, and especially their deputies, the chance to argue through differences and consider

TRUMP CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

indianastatesman.com

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 • Page 7

MAGA hats, blackface share a certain unfortunate DNA Robin Abcarian

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Two potent racial symbols — MAGA hats and blackface — have been in the news. They may not appear related at first blush, but they belong on a political continuum that ranges from racial provocation to outright racism. They share DNA. Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat is not necessarily an overt expression of racism.

But if you wear one, it’s a pretty good indication that you share, admire or appreciate President Trump’s racist views about Mexicans, Muslims and border walls.

That hat stirs strong emotions. It is meant to.

I know a Democratic mom in Orange County who asked her teenage son’s friend to take his MAGA hat off in her house. On his way out, the kid yanked up her Katie Porter-for-Congress lawn sign, which ended the boys’ friendship.

Last week, a biracial restaurant owner in San Mateo tweeted that he regarded the hats as no different than “a swastika, white hood, or any other symbol of intolerance and hate.”

“It hasn’t happened yet,” wrote J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, “but if you come into my restaurant wearing a MAGA cap, you aren’t getting served.”

He quickly — and rightly — apologized after he was slammed for intolerance. You can reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, but if you choose your patrons based on their politics, you deserve to go under.

(If I owned a restaurant, I wouldn’t toss you out if you wore a MAGA hat to dinner, although I do think hats at the table are extremely rude.)

When Nick Sandmann, a Kentucky high school student, wore a MAGA hat as he engaged in what appeared to be a staring contest with Nathan Phillips, a Native American man, the image came across as disrespectful at best, and racist at worst.

TRUMP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 options. It is at such meetings that intelligence is introduced into the process. The dearth of meetings under the Trump administration leaves too much to the ideological quirks of the national security advisor and personal quirks of the president.

Moreover, Trump’s one-on-

Steve Earley | Virginia Pilot | TNS

Protesters demanding his resignation gather outside the governor’s mansion in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, after a racist photo of Gov. Ralph Northam was found in his 1984 medical school yearbook.

The resulting analysis of the event has taken on a Rorschach-like quality: You see what you want to see. But without that hat, the story would not have blown up.

MAGA hats simply don’t mean anything outside their implicit political message: The past was better because the country was whiter.

I look forward to the day they are consigned to the same historical fate as Confederate flags.

Even then, they will surely still have their fans.

Whether white people who blacken their faces for fun know it or not, the practice is rooted in minstrelsy and the mockery of blacks by whites. Like the MAGA hat, it is an expression of white supremacy.

The photo that surfaced last week from Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s yearbook page in medical school was bad enough: a white man in blackface standing next to a (presumably) white man in a Ku Klux Klan white robe and pointed hood.

one meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin have broken another basic protocol: Always have your own translator and note-taker.

Translators aren’t likely to go freestyle with their leader’s words, but words often have several meanings in any language.

And because presidents seldom take the time to debrief their

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The only thing he had going for himself was that he did not try to defend the photo.

“That photo and the racist and offensive attitudes it represents does not reflect that person I am today, or the way I have conducted myself as a soldier, a doctor and a public servant,” Northam said in a video message to his constituents on Friday. “I am deeply sorry.”

It really doesn’t matter that he later decided he couldn’t possibly have been one of the two figures in the photo. The damage was done.

At his Saturday news conference, he admitted having once blackened his face for a Michael Jackson dance contest, saying, “You cannot get shoe polish off.” He seemed poised to moonwalk, until his wife stopped him. The entire performance was an exercise in historical, political and personal cluelessness.

“Since he loves Michael,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC, “he should go back to the mansion and play ‘Beat It’ and start

subordinates, a note-taker is imperative. When Carter spoke with German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who was fluent in English, no staffers were present. I had to phone my German counterparts later, hat in hand, to ask what had ensued.

All this disarray can only be emboldening our adversaries and disheartening our allies. Indeed,

Britain, France and Germany last week introduced a financial mechanism that will allow European companies to do business with Iranian companies despite U.S. sanctions against Iran.

U.S. allies have sometimes disagreed with our policies, but generally they have remained silent or complained in private.

The spectacle of our allies openly

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packing.”

Seems like his fellow Virginians agree.

The lesson — that blackface is never funny, never acceptable — is one that white Americans seem destined to have to learn over and over again.

Twenty-five years ago, “Cheers” actor Ted Danson donned blackface and performed a profane comedy routine (he used the N-word more than a dozen times) at the New York Friars Club roast of his then-girlfriend, Whoopi Goldberg.

His face paint included oversized white lips. The negative reaction was swift.

Goldberg, who helped him conceive the bit, was among the very few who rose to his defense. “It took a whole lot of courage to come out in blackface in front of 3,000 people,” she said. “I don’t care if you didn’t like it. I did.”

Twenty years later, the white actress Julianne Hough was blasted for darkening her face when she dressed up as Uzo Aduba’s character “Crazy Eyes” from “Orange is the New Black.”

She was immediately called out and apologized.

“It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way,” Hough said. “I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.”

Aduba’s response was kind: “I think maybe it was an unfortunate event, but she apologized and I feel like we can all move on.”

I wish we could move on.

Last fall, TV host Megyn Kelly lost her job after insisting it used to be OK to wear blackface on Halloween.

“Back when I was a kid, that was OK just as long as you were dressing as a character,” Kelly said. “I can’t keep up with the number of people we’re offending by being normal people.”

You have to live deep inside a cosseted world of white privilege to think of blackface as “normal.”

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trying to subvert U.S. sanctions is practically unheard-of.

They are doing so, in part, because they know Coats was right when he told the Intelligence Committee: “Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities we judge necessary to produce a nuclear device.”

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SPORTS

Page 8

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019

The man behind the Sycamore Sam mask Garrett Short Reporter

Basketball games, football games, campus events, and student assemblies. You’ve undoubtedly seen the furry, blue suit rolling around on the ground or taking pictures with Indiana State students, but it’s a whole different world putting on the mask and becoming Sycamore Sam. “I love it, I love the fans,” Sycamore Sam said. “It’s awesome to know that I make so many people happy and so many people enjoy coming to the games and watching me even though they don’t really see me, they just see Sycamores Sam. They don’t see the man behind the mask” The student inside the suit has been

Sycamore Sam for three years, making appearances at countless athletic events, trying to pump up the home crowd while telling only those he is closest to what he does on Saturday afternoons in the fall and during basketball games in the winter.

“It’s an act for me. I live it,” Sam said about not revealing his identity. “It doesn’t bother me too much.”

Sycamore Sam has been around since 1995, when ISU chose to unveil a new mascot. Since then students have donned the costume and become the face of the university for a few hours at a time.

“It’s an honor to represent the university as an unknown individual,” Sam said.

Making connections has been his favorite part of the job. Between hanging out

with the fans and “making countless numbers of friends,” Sam is grateful he has been a member of the spirit squad for four years.

But there are some parts to being Sam that aren’t always easy, besides being in a hot, smelly suit.

“It’s hard sometimes. If I have a bad day, I can’t go and have a bad day as Sam. I have to put a smile on my face and go and be the energy,” Sam said.

The student behind the mask has enjoyed many great games at ISU, and loved the opportunity to wear the suit during the Loyola game weeks ago when the 1979 men’s basketball team came back to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the National Runner-Up team.

“I actually got to shake Larry Bird’s hand

and take a picture with him,” Sam said.

“Seeing that many fans there, it was definitely a different atmosphere.”

Things have come full-circle for the man in the suit. When he was growing up, he was “terrified” of mascots. Now as a four year member of the spirit squad at ISU, he’s developed a passion for being a symbol of team spirit.

“I have applied for an internship with the Indianapolis Colts to be a backup for Blue,” Sam said.

With the current puppeteer of Sycamore Sam leaving, there will be an opening for someone to fill Sam’s shoes. And the rest of the furry, blue suit of course. The first requirement: bring spirit, and lots of it.

Sycamores to compete against Bradley Braves Jay Adkins Reporter

Ana Bartley | Indiana Statesman

This Saturday, the Indiana State University Sycamores men’s basketball team will travel to Peoria, IL to compete against the Bradley University Braves. The Sycamores are currently 11-11 for the season and are coming off a 68-62 loss to Drake University Bulldogs. Both teams struggled big time in the game with ISU only shooting 40 percent as a team and had an even worse time at the three-point line going 3-of-22. The Sycamores did a great job on defense and making Drake stumble every chance they got. ISU forced Drake to turn the ball over 18 times as ISU

gathered 13 steals on the night with the Bulldogs only obtaining three steals overall on the night.

The Sycamores will compete against the University of Evansville Purple Aces Wednesday night before their matchup against Bradley. The Braves are 10-13 for the season. They look to keep the ball rolling as the Braves come off a 64-53 win over Valparaiso. K.J. Riley, posted the second double-double of his career with 10 points and 12 rebounds while Marty Hill notched 14 points for the night.

Sophomore guard, Tyreke Key, leads the Sycamores in points per game and minutes per game with 16.9 and 34.6, respectively. Junior

guard, Jordan Barnes, leads the Sycamores in three assists four rebounds and one steal per game.

Junior center, Emondre Rickman, leads the team in blocks with one per game.

For the Braves, Junior guard, Darrell Brown, lead the team with 14 points per game three assists per game, two steals per game and 32 minutes per game.

Sophomore forward, Elijah Childs, leads the team with seven rebounds per game and one block per game. The Indiana State, Sycamores will face off against Bradley University Saturday Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. The game can be watched on television on ESPN+ and can be heard on the radio at WIBQ-FM

Krystal Rice, is guarded by Alyssa Iverson at the game against University of Northern Iowa on Jan. 27.

ISU women’s basketball will travel to Bradley Jordan Koegler Reporter

The second time this season, Indiana State University will travel to Peoria Illinois to take on Bradley Friday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.

The Sycamores are currently 10-10 and 4-5 in the Missouri Valley Confer-ence.

Last in action for the Trees was on Feb. 1 against Evansville. Sycamores ended with a victory, final score 76-69.

Sophomore forward, Ty Battle was unstoppable and hit 19 points marking a career high.

With her recent performance Bradley will have to be on the lookout for Battle as she looks to produce the same effort she did last timeout.

Regan Wentland, a senior forward is a dominating point scorer for the syca-mores. In her last game she scored 10 points. She will be another key player the Braves will want to keep an eye out on during Friday’s matchup.

On the other side of the ball, the Braves were last in action on Feb. 3 against Chicago Loyola and resulted in a victory win for Bradley.

Chelsea Brackmann, a junior forward for Bradley has been on fire this sea-son.

In her last game she had a 2020 performance. She scored a career goal of 24 points. She also

had 20 rebounds and had her 10th double-double of the year.

Brackmann also marked in her last game a 600th career rebound and the second fastest player to achieve this accomplishment for the Braves in school history.

The Braves have a current season record of 15-5 overall and 5-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Sycamores will need to be prepared for her quick rebounds and being on top of her game.

Gabi Haack is the leading scorer for the Braves averaging 16.6 points per game. In her last game she had 16 total point. She has made 56 threes thus far this season.

Haack will be a top player the Sycamores will want to defensively shut down on Friday.

The last game between the two team was on Jan. 13 inside Hulman Center. The game resulted in a loss for Indiana State with a final score 61-45.

Overall Indiana State holds a 49-25 advantage over Bradley.

Indiana State has won 12 of 14 contest overall.

The game against the Braves will be the second time these two teams play each other during the season.

The game will be at Renaissance Coliseum with tip off set for 8 p.m. and can be watched ESPN+ and/or the radio on WIBQ 12:30 a.m.

Anna Bartley | Indiana Statesman

Christian Williams, #10, and Tremell Murphy, #2, face off in the Sycamores vs. Drake men’s basketball game on Feb. 2.