August 29, 2019

THURSDAY AUGUST 29, 2019

SAGE introduces new Queer Peer program

The Queer Peer program aims to connect LGBTQ+ students to campus MICHAEL MCSHANE STAFF WRITER

For LGBTQ students transitioning from high school to university, the anxiety and stress to find yourself and fit in can feel almost impossible.

That is the mission that the Queer Peer Program wishes to tackle that will give students within the LGBTQ community someone they can turn to whenever they want to talk or let out whatever is troubling them.

The program is spearheaded by Sexuality and Gender Equality, or SAGE, as a mentor program that will give LGBTQ students the resources they need that will help them get accustomed to MNSU and aiding them throughout the semester.

“Transitioning into college life is a really rough thing and so for me it’s important that if one chooses to and wants to that they can find their place

Photo courtesy of Reporter Archives

in their own community,” said SAGE’S treasurer Sophia Wirtz.

In the program a student, or mentee, will be paired with a mentor that will help the student acclimate to college life, give academic guidance,

and connect the mentees into the university’s LGBTQ community on campus.

The deadline for applications to either be a mentor or mentee for the Fall semester is Wednesday, Sept. 18, with mentor training beginning

the next day.

For those wishing to be mentors, they will be a special training on professional boundaries, crisis control and empathy.

“We want to make sure that everyone is in a safe and

comfortable space when they go through this program,” said Sophia.

Once the training is completed, mentors and mentees will be able to connect Tuesday, Sept. 24, officially starting the program.

Since the Queer Peer Program will attempt to focus primarily on 1:1 mentor/ mentee, if there are more mentors then mentees, some prospective mentors will be unable to take part in the program.

However, if there are more mentees then mentors, then a single mentor may have multiple mentees. SAGE is in the process of making sure not only are the mentees taken care of, but the mentors are as well.

“We’re focusing also on a section on self-care to make

SAGE page 3

What does your student fees mean exactly?

OLAYINKA GBOLAHAN STAFF WRITER “Wow”, that is probably the reaction most of us have when we review our tuition and fee invoice which majority of the time results in how high the bill ends up being due to unexpected fees.

The Minnesota State Board of Trustees which consist of 15 members appointed by the governor set the maximum rate for these fees for all Minnesota state colleges and universities.

Then, the Student Association’s Student Senate and its Student Allocations Committee result an allocation plan for the funds within the maximum set amount before the final approval by the school’s president.

Ever wondered how the

Maria Ly | MSU Reporter

school manages to fund the music ensembles, theater, the MSU reporters, the international student activities, gender and sexuality

programs, student senate which helps fund the student attorney, carshare enterprise and so on? Wonder no more, because according to cam-

IN THIS ISSUE: Farmer’s Market ......................................... Page 5 Women’s Soccer Shuts Out Luther.......... Page 16 AAA.......................................................... Page 12 Hedwig and the Angry Inch..................... Page 12

pus hub- student financial fee websites, these events are funded by the student activity fee. The student activity fee

cost $8.77 per credit when students take 1 – 11 credit a semester and $105.24 for the band tuition cost of 12 – 18 credits a semester.

Scrolling down the fees invoice, the next items is the student union fee. This is used to fund the renovation and maintenance of the Centennial Student Union.

These funds help cover costs such as the liability insurance, utilities, equipment and furniture replacement, union staff salaries and supplies.

It is also used to maintain the art gallery, the bullpen, game room and relaxation lounges, the large fireplace, rooms and halls and the dining concept. The student

FEES page 2

WEATHER OUTLOOK: THURSDAY (8/29)

H: 77 L: 49 Mostly sunny; pleasant.

FRIDAY (8/30)

SATURDAY (8/31)

H: 72 L: 55

H: 69 L: 53

Partly sunny; pleasant.

Times of clouds and sun.

SUNDAY (9/1)

H: 74 L: 61 Sunny intervals; pleasant.

SUNDAY (9/2)

H: 80 L: 65 Clouds and sun; pleasant.

Have a story idea?

Email News Editor Maria Ly maria.ly@mnsu.edu

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, August 29, 2019

OxyContin maker negotiating settlement worth a reported $12B COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Purdue Pharma would devote its profits to cleaning up the devastation wrought by opioids, and the controlling Sackler family would be out, under a $10 billion to $12 billion nationwide settlement taking shape at the negotiating table, according to published reports Wednesday.

The agreement, if it comes to pass, would resolve more than 2,000 lawsuits brought against the maker of OxyContin by state and local governments.

Under the proposal on the table, Purdue Pharma would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and transform itself into a “public benefit trust corporation,” with all profits from drug sales and other proceeds going to the plaintiffs, news reports said, citing a document outlining the tentative agreement.

The Wall Street Journal said the arrangement would stay in place for seven to 10 years and would be overseen by trustees named by the bankruptcy court. Details of the proposed settlement were also reported by NBC and The New York Times.

The Sacklers would give up ownership of Purdue Pharma and contribute $3 billion of their own money toward the total, the reports said. They would also sell another pharmaceutical company, Mun-

FEES

Continued from page 1 union fee cost $10.78 per credit when student take credit 1 – 11 credit a semester and $129.36 for the band tuition of 12 – 18 credits a semester.

As the name implies, the technology fee is used to upgrade and maintain the technology interfaces around campus for the betterment of student and faculty members. This fee helps provide the important wi-fi connection we cannot live without, MAVPrint, MAVMail, IT support, distance learning support, academic computer center and other satellite labs, Memorial Library, projectors and smart boards and so on.

The health service fee is used to support the funding for health education and initiatives like the alcohol and drug education, mental health resources and so on. It is also used

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

dipharma, which would add $1.5 billion to the settlement.

In addition, Purdue Pharma would supply its addiction treatment drugs free to the public.

It was not immediately clear whether the reconstituted company would continue to sell opioids. Purdue Pharma also makes laxatives, antiseptics and dietary supplements.

In a statement, the Stamford, Connecticut-based company did not confirm any of the details but said it sees little good in years of “wasteful litigation and appeals.”

“Purdue believes a constructive global resolution is to fund access to physician, treatment and related health support like pharmacy, scan and screening, labs and referrals from the campus health services.

The university prioritize providing a healthy environment for students. This endeavor has included providing an estimated cost of 8.5 million dollars worth of outdoor recreational facility. The campus recreational facility fee is used to subsidize the debt the school acquired to provide all these recreational facilities.

Additionally, intercollegiate athletics fee is a fee allocated to support partial operations of the Mavericks athletic teams and subsidize or completely cover cost for current students to be entertained.

If you have checked your invoice recently, you would notice an increase in the fees. This increase is as a result of the proposed funding of the new seasonal sports dome. The dome would be a size of 1.5 the size of a soccer field and would help accommodate a wide variety of sports.

the best path forward, and the company is actively working with the state attorneys general and other plaintiffs to achieve this outcome,” it said.

Paul Farrell Jr., a lead plaintiffs’ lawyer representing local governments in the negotiations going on in Cleveland, said all sides remain under a gag order: “All we can confirm is that we are in active settlement discussions with Purdue.”

Attorneys general representing several states also confirmed the accelerated negotiations.

“Our mission here has always been clear — make PurMinnesota State University Mankato students voted to help finance the project’s construction cost in a December 2018 referendum at an additional student fee of 83 cents per credit and capped at $10 per semester for the band tuition rate of 12 – 18 credit. The student fee contribution and University reserve funds will cover the overall cost of the project.

In conclusion, these fees add up to $43.34 per credit for 1-11 credit hours and $521.95 for the band tuition of 12-18 credit hours a semester.

Students need to be rest assured that the school is not trying to scam more money out of them by including these fees and that these fees are properly allocated into providing the best learning environment for them.

For inquiries on financial reports and more information on fee allocations, the Campus Hub located in the Centennial Student Union are willing to answer any questions.

due Pharma and the other manufacturers and distributors pay for what they did to Pennsylvania and its people, and put the Sackler family out of the opioid business for good,” said Jacklin Rhoads, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania’s attorney general.

While the U.S. has many “public benefit corporations,” creating one to settle a civil action would be a novel approach, said John Coffee, a law professor and director of the Center on Corporate Governance at Columbia Law School.

In general, public benefit corporations have charters that dictate that they operate not to maximize profits for shareholders but to benefit some other purpose, such as

a charity or research, he said.

Coffee said that he has never heard specifically of a “public benefit corporation trust” and that it sounded like a hybrid — a business run by trustees.

The opioid overdose epidemic has killed more than 400,000 people in the U.S. since 2000 and torn apart communities. Purdue Pharma and other players in the industry have been barraged with lawsuits, with the first federal trial scheduled to start in Cleveland in two months.

Purdue has been cast by attorneys and addiction experts as a chief villain in the crisis. While its painkillers represent a very small piece of the opioid market, the lawsuits accuse it of playing a central role in creating demand for the drugs by downplaying OxyContin’s addiction risks and pushing doctors hard to prescribe it.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that the Sackler family “started a national fire” and has “made billions profiting from death and destruction.”

The Sacklers were ranked America’s 19th-richest family

by Forbes magazine in 2016, with a net worth estimated at $13 billion.

In March, Purdue and the Sackler family reached a $270 million settlement with Oklahoma over the opioid scourge.

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Thursday, August 29, 2019

News

MSU Reporter • 3

As troops prepare to leave Afghanistan, will aid stream out?

JEBUL SIRAJ, Afghanistan (AP) — The children will inherit any peace that comes to Afghanistan, if only they can live to see it.

Whimpering and badly malnourished, they are among the most vulnerable in a country that remains one of the poorest in the world.

Now an expected United States-Taliban agreement to end nearly 18 years of fighting raises questions about whether the foreign aid largely propping up the country will drop as troops withdraw.

Much depends on the Taliban, who have indicated they want that aid to continue even as they call for armed “invaders” to leave. But if the insurgent group that already controls roughly half of Afghanistan tries to assert a harsh form of Islamic law across the country or continues its attacks, some donors could walk away.

The urgency of aid is seen in Jebul Siraj, a mountainside community north of the capital, Kabul, where a burqa-clad woman held a gaunt, startled-looking boy named Abdullah, just 7 months old.

Days ago, he was at an emergency ward. Now he sipped curiously at a supplement as part of a new nutrition monitoring program at a clinic in Parwan province supported by the United Nations children’s agency. Mothers and children lined up outside.

Some 2 million children in Afghanistan face acute malnutrition, according to UNICEF, about 600,000 of them so severely malnourished that without urgent treatment they could die.

The hospital in nearby Charikar city treats more than 1,000 children a month for malnutrition and the problem is growing, nurse Fariba Hashimi said.

“It’s mostly an economic issue, for mothers as well,” she said. “They can’t breastfeed because they don’t have enough income to feed themselves.” Aid has dropped in

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

recent years, with supplemental biscuits and wheat flour that was once provided for patients now unavailable.

Health care and other basic services are precarious in a country where the World Bank says grants finance some 75% of total public expenditures. This year it warned against the dire consequences of “any rapid decline in international aid flows.”

Afghanistan has been the largest single recipient of American aid since the U.S.led invasion to oust the Taliban in 2001, but despite billions of dollars in assistance more than half of its people still live in poverty. Much of the aid has gone to security efforts, and frustrated Afghans assert that untold amounts have been lost in corruption and mismanagement.

U.S. aid to the country was cut in half in 2014, the year that U.S. and NATO forces formally ended their combat mission. About 20,000 forces remain, largely to train and support Afghan counterparts.

If a U.S.-Taliban agreement on ending America’s longest war brings badly needed peace, Afghanistan could see an increase in aid, said Alex Thier, who once directed assistance for the country with

being a pariah state as before,” he said. But no one knows what they will give up to keep receiving support.

The local U.N. humanitarian coordinator, Toby Lanzer, who has spoken with “all of the authorities across Afghanistan,” said he believes aid won’t drop, calling the country’s case so compelling that efforts must continue, whatever happens. He has spoken with the United States and other “particularly generous” countries and believes donors are in Afghanistan for the long haul.

Asked how the interest of President Donald Trump’s administration in cutting overall foreign aid complicates the situation, Lanzer paused for more than 10 seconds before saying that “when it comes

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SAGE

Continued from page 1 sure the mentors are getting the support that they need,” said Sophia.

For those who wish to learn more about both SAGE and the Queer Peer Program, SAGE meets every week. Unlike the LGBT Center, SAGE does not

the U.S. Agency for International Development.

But if the peace process drags out or fails, that could “depress enthusiasm for giving,” he warned after a visit to Kabul this month. Some donors could be reluctant to fund a government in which the Taliban wield power and don’t respect the rights of women and others.

The Taliban have indicated they want international aid to continue, and understanding how to keep it flowing is part of talks with the U.S., Thier said, citing what he has heard from diplomats, Taliban proxies and people who met with Taliban leaders in intra-Afghan dialogues in Moscow and Qatar this year.

“Part of the Taliban motivation in the peace process is, they clearly want to avoid

to a strategic location such as Afghanistan, everybody has to chip in, and everybody has been chipping in. And I would very much count on the continued generosity of the people of the United States of America, of institutions such as USAID, to stay the course.”

Next year could be Afghanistan’s most pivotal, he said, as the latest round of international aid pledges ends.

He expects another pledging conference in 2020 for “the new government, whichever government that might be.”

At the Indira Gandhi children’s hospital in Kabul, which treats 70 to 80 malnourished children a month, director Dr. Mohammad Bashir Qurishi worried about how doctors will be paid and medicine purchased if aid follows troops out of the country.

Everyone is afraid of losing the progress made since 2001, he said, as the U.S. and the Taliban negotiate the country’s future while excluding the Afghan government.

“If Trump wants to take us back to Stone Age time, then it is their policy,” he said.

In the ward for malnourished children, decorated with aid stickers from UNICEF and Japan, a nurse pointed out fragile toddlers. One 2-year-old, her face covered in tape to keep a nasal feeding tube in place, breathed with discomfort, a Barbie-like doll next to her on her pillow.

have a definitive location to meet up as their meeting locations are dictated on what rooms are available.

The first meeting for SAGE will be held Tuesday, September 3 at 7 p.m. in CSU 202.

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4 • MSU Reporter

Advertisement

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Thursday, August 29, 2019

News

MSU Reporter • 5

The SNAPshot Welcome Week features Free Farmer’s Market MARIA LY NEWS EDITOR

Nidia Mariscal | MSU Reporter

Nidia Mariscal | MSU Reporter

Nidia Mariscal | MSU Reporter

Food insecurity, defined by the Department of Sociology at MNSU, is a lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable food.

A recent online survey done on campus by students in the spring semester of 2018, in the “Sociology in Action” class, shows that MNSU exceeds the national average of students facing food insecurity.

About two-thirds of students claim they face food insecurity in some certain way. According to the study, 64 percent of 260 randomly selected students surveyed claimed they face some sort of food insecurity.

This is a huge number.

Your classmates, neighbors and colleagues at MNSU could very well be facing food insecurity.

MNSU has completed many initiatives to help students with food insecurity such as the partnership with the campus kitchen and campus cupboard, emergency grant program, free farmer’s markets etc.

Karen Anderson, the assistant director for Community Engagement at MNSU says, “What we’re facing here at MNSU is going on in every school, whether they want to admit it or not.”

She continues, “What I think is different about MNSU is that we want to deal with it. Our goal is to make sure students succeed and graduate. We’re doing the best that we can to either connect students with programs going on in the community or either step up and be that stop gap ourselves.”

College students shouldn’t have to starve. Although media perpetuates this stereotype about the average college student making it by with packs of ramen noodles and sad sandwiches, this shouldn’t be the case in real life.

However, it is, especially here at MNSU. That is why I’m

inspired to pursue the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) challenge. Not for a week, not for a month, but a whole year.

After this week, after eating all the pizza, fried chicken and ice cream bars I can, I will be starting the challenge.

The challenge rules are: I will be only able to spend Minnesota’s SNAP benefit average which is about $110 dollars a month or $3.93 a week. I will only be able to purchase food that are SNAPS benefits eligible. I will be allowed to use campus and community resources for extra food. If free food is given to me, I will be able to eat it. The challenge will last till the beginning of May when I graduate. The challenge applies to holidays and breaks during the school year.

Why am I doing this?

Ever since I did an article about food insecurity I was astonished by the statistics and wanted to learn more. I learned that a lot of students didn’t know what food insecurity is and had a lack of knowledge of resources.

I not only want to bring awareness to resources, but I also want to bring awareness about food insecurity in general and normalize the term so people who may be reading this don’t feel like this is something they have to go through and that they are not alone.

MNSU has many resources, faculty and staff, students and community members helping to resolve the issue at hand.

Anderson says, “We’re really trying our hardest to address it. It’s not just me, but it’s hundreds of people at this university who are stepping up to make things happen and that genuinely care about our students.”

Tune in every Thursday to hear about my experiences.

If you want, you can reach out for more information and maybe join me in this challenge. Together we can help resolve food insecurity, but first we need to understand it.

6 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, August 29, 2019

FALL 2019 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MADISON DIEMERT

Textbook prices are criminal

507-389-5454 madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

MARIA LY News Editor Classes have started and as any student one would need pencils, pens, notebooks, folders, and most importantly textbooks.

As a senior at MNSU I find textbooks unreasonably priced and a big financial burden to purchase. Throughout my years I would scour the internet for the cheapest rental prices, search for free online pdfs, or check them out of the library and take an insane amount of pictures.

It costs more dollars to purchase a textbook than there are pages.

What sucks even worse is when you don’t even use the textbook the whole semester. I’ve gone through many classes in community college or even at MNSU where I’ve never opened the book besides to read a couple of pages.

According to the College Board, students spend an average of 1200 dollars on textbooks and materials a year. This statistic was done in 2014 and continues to soar today.

Purchasing textbooks can be difficult for students, especially ones who may not be financially stable. Some may not even purchase their textbooks and can struggle greatly if the classes they are in are textbook heavy.

NEWS EDITOR: Maria Ly 507-389-5450 maria.ly@mnsu.edu SPORTS EDITOR: Andrew Neururer andrew.neururer@mnsu.edu A&E EDITOR: Kolby Spomer kolby.spomer@mnsu.edu

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Partnered with the Student Government, Library Services, and Barnes and Noble Bookstore, MNSU to help with this issue created a text-

to checkout for two hours in listed classes.

This is a great solution to expensive textbooks. However, there is still a huge prob-

“Purchasing textbooks can be difficult for students, especially ones who may not be financially stable. ” book reserve program that provides students textbooks

lem with the pricing of textbooks.

I understand how paper copies of textbooks would cost more, but what about e-versions? When looking through Amazon textbook rentals, I noticed that getting the e-versions were almost 10 to 20 dollars extra.

I know authors need to make money, but why steal it from already broke kids?

As of now, it looks like the best bet for students is looking into getting their textbooks through cheaper online sources.

Students can get their textbooks through website designed just for textbooks such as Chegg.com or Students can also use financial aid to purchase textbooks through the Barnes and Noble Bookstore.

“What do you think about the current textbook prices?”

Compiled by: Maria Ly

ABUZAR IQBAL MASS MEDIA “Textbooks are too expensive, so the faculties try to use open-source books.”

NATALIA GOMEZ, LIFE SCIENCE EDUCATION

BOSAYBAH LY, ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

“They’re expensive.”

“I wish they were cheaper, but what can you do.”

PJ GURUNG, PSYCHOLOGY

MARIA LY, MASS MEDIA

“It’s ridiculously overpriced.”

“They’re ridiculous.”

ADVERTISING SALES: Cody VanDenEinde 507-389-5097 cody.vandeneinde@mnsu.edu Nathan Norman 507-389-5453 nathan.norman@mnsu.edu Jacob Plaetz 507-389-6765 jacob.plaetz@mnsu.edu BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad 507-389-1926 jane.tastad@mnsu.edu ADVERTISING DESIGN/ PRODUCTION MANAGER: Dana Clark 507-389-2793 dana.clark@mnsu.edu

POLICIES & INFO • If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, call Editor in Chief Madison Diemert at 507-389-5454.

The Reporter will correct any errors of fact or misspelled names in this space.

Formal grievances against the Reporter are handled by the Newspaper Board.

• The Minnesota State University Mankato Reporter is a student-run newspaper published twice a week, coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Reporter generates 78 percent of its own income through advertising and receives approximately 22 percent from Student Activities fees. The Reporter is free to all students and faculty, but to start a subscription, please call us at 507-389-1776. Subscriptions for the academic school year are $55.00 and subscribers will receive the paper within three to five days after publishing.

• Letters exceeding 400 words may not be accepted. The Reporter reserves the right to edit letters to fit space or correct punctuation. The Reporter reserves the right to publish, or not publish, at its discretion. Letters must contain year, major or affiliation with the university, or lack thereof. All letters must contain phone numbers for verification purposes.

THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE MSU REPORTER ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OR STUDENT BODY.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

News

MSU Reporter • 7

‘Coward’: Epstein accusers pour out their anger in court NEW YORK (AP) — One by one, 16 women who say they were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein poured out their anger Tuesday, lashing out at him as a coward and a manipulator, after a judge gave them the day in court they were denied when he killed himself behind bars.

“The fact I will never have a chance to face my predator in court eats away at my soul,” said Jennifer Araoz, who has accused Epstein of raping her in his New York mansion when she was a 15-year-old aspiring actress.

“Even in death, Epstein is trying to hurt me. I had hoped to at last get an apology, but this evil man had no remorse or caring for what he did to anyone,” she said.

The hearing was convened

by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman, who presided over the case after federal prosecutors had Epstein arrested last month.

The question before the judge was whether to throw out the indictment because of the defendant’s death, a usually pro forma step undertaken without a hearing. But the judge offered Epstein’s accusers an extraordinary opportunity to speak in court.

In addition to the women who spoke — some publicly for the first time — statements from several others were read in court by their lawyers.

They vented their fury over Epstein’s alleged crimes and his suicidein his jail cell Aug. 10 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges involving dozens of teenage girls. Repeatedly, the women described themselves as survivors and said they hoped coming forward would help others.

“I was a victim, but I will not remain a victim and be silent for one more day,” said actress Anouska De Georgiou, who said she was sexually abused by Epstein as a teenager. “Although I think it’s tragic when anybody dies before their time, I’m extremely relieved that Jeffrey Epstein will not be in a position to hurt any more children or any more women.”

Courtney Wild, who has said she was sexually abused

by Epstein in Florida at age 14, called him a “coward” who had “robbed myself and all the other victims of our day in court to confront him.”

Araoz said she felt let down by Epstein’s jailers, too.

“They let this man kill himself and kill the chance for justice for so many others in

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

the process,” she said.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has said she was a 15-year-old working at President Donald Trump’s Mara-Lago club when she was recruited to perform sex acts on Epstein, told the court: “My hopes were quickly dashed, and my dreams were stolen.”

Sarah Ransome, who said Epstein pressured her into sex when she was in her early 20s, pleaded with prosecutors to go after those who helped the financier in his pursuit of victims.

“Please, please finish what you started,” she said.

Among those under scrutiny: Epstein’s girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been accused of recruiting young women for his sexual pleasure and taking part in the abuse.

She has denied wrongdoing.

In opening the session, the judge called the 66-yearold Epstein’s suicide a “rather stunning turn of events.”

He defended his decision to let the women speak, saying public hearings “promote transparency.”

During the 2½-hour proceeding, the women sometimes clutched one another to lend support. Most remained composed, but several cried as they described falling into Epstein’s web.

Some women described their shame and embarrassment, saying Epstein manipulated them, dangling his wealth and power and connection to celebrities and political figures, while seizing on their vulnerabilities.

Several of the women chose to testify anonymously, including one who said she was 15 when she was flown to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch.

While molesting her, he was also “explaining to me how

beneficial the experience was for me and how he was helping me grow,” she said.

She said that as he abused her, she could see framed pictures of him on a dresser, smiling with celebrities.

Teala Davies, taking deep breaths to steady her voice, said she was 17 when she was victimized. She said she thought Epstein was the most powerful person she would ever meet.

“But the end is here, and here I stand, becoming more powerful than he will ever be,” she said.

A New York City coroner ruled that Epstein hanged himself . But one of Epstein’s lawyers, Martin Weinberg,

challenged that finding during Tuesday’s hearing, saying “we are told by a very experienced forensic pathologist” that broken bones in his neck were more consistent with strangulation than with suicide.

“Find out what happened to our client,” the lawyer told the judge.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey, though, said the manner of Epstein’s death was irrelevant to Tuesday’s proceedings.

The judge said he thought it was “fair game” for the defense to raise concerns, but took no immediate action on the request. Prosecutors noted that a grand jury is already

investigating the death.

Dr. Michael Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein’s representatives to observe the autopsy, told The Associated Press Tuesday he is awaiting the report from the medical examiner’s office before offering his opinion on the cause of death.

Comey said the dismissal of an indictment against Epstein “in no way lessens the government’s resolve to stand up for the victims” At his death, Epstein was being held without bail, accused of abusing girls in the early 2000s at his mansions in New York and Palm Beach, Florida.

In the wake of his suicide, the warden of the federal jail and the acting director of the Bureau of Prisons were removed, and two guards who were supposed to be watching Epstein were placed on leave.

Epstein’s lawyers contended he could not be prosecuted because he signed a non-prosecution deal with federal authorities over a decade ago in Florida that resulted in a 13-month stint in jail on state prostitution-related charges. Federal prosecutors in New York said that deal did not prevent the new charges.

The Associated Press does not identify alleged victims of sex crimes unless they give their consent, which several Epstein accusers have done.

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8 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Role of the Amazon in global climate change

MICHAEL MCSHANE STAFF WRITER As you are reading this, the Amazon rainforest is burning to the ground.

The worst part should be that and that alone, but it seems the real horror is that the Brazilian government is barely caring about it and the major repercussions it has on the world.

The Amazon rainforest is a global fighter against carbon dioxide and its harmful effects on the Earth and remains one of the world’s most treasured places.

Nevertheless, the massive deforestation of the Amazon has come to a fiery crescendo that has left not only environmentalists aghast, but those with basic common sense will be bewildered as to the treatment of the important forest.

Agriculture and farming are important and needed in society, but there is no defense when it is the reason for unneeded burning of forests.

Now the devastation is in full view for everyone to see, but there is unfortunately nothing we can do.

The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, is being a strongman at the worst time for his country as he is openly stating he will not take international aid to save the rainforest because of a spat between him and French president Emmanuel Macron.

It is this example of taking one’s own ego over the wellbeing of not only your country, but the world that proved to many who feared a Bolsonaro administration that their fears were accurate.

The issue, however, isn’t in dealing with Brazil’s president, but in dealing with the continuously burning rainforest and the aftereffects of such a devastating catastrophe.

The international community must do everything in its part to end this wildfire as quickly as possible and make sure such a blaze does not effect the region ever again, especially by human hands.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Fires across the Brazilian Amazon have sparked an international outcry for preservation of the world*s largest rainforest. Here’s a look at the role the Amazon plays in regulating the world’s climate: IS THE WORLD’S OXYGEN SUPPLY AT RISK? No. While it’s commonly said that the Amazon produces 20% of the world’s oxygen, climate scientists say that figure is wrong and the oxygen supply is not directly at risk in any case. That’s because forests, including the Amazon, absorb roughly the same amount of oxygen they produce. Plants do produce oxygen through photosynthesis, but they also absorb it to grow, as do animals and microbes.

That doesn’t mean the fires aren’t a problem for the planet. The Amazon is a critical absorber of carbon of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels, like oil and coal.

IS THE AMAZON ‘THE LUNGS OF THE PLANET?’ The Amazon rainforest is frequently referred to as the “lungs of the planet,” but it may not be the most accurate analogy for the forest’s role.

Carlos Nobre, a University of Sao Paulo climate scientist, says a better way to picture the Amazon’s role is as a sink, draining heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Currently, the world is emitting around 40 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. The Ama-

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

tal part of preventing climate change.

WHAT DO THE FIRES IN THE AMAZON MEAN FOR THE WORLD’S CLIMATE? Fires in the Amazon not

tropical savannah.

The rainforest recycles its own water to produce a portion of the region’s rain, so deforestation makes rains

“While it’s commonly said that the Amazon produces 20% of the world’s oxygen, climate scientists say that figure is wrong and the oxygen supply is not directly at risk in any case.” only mean the carbon-absorbing forest is disappearing, but the flames themselves are emitting millions of tons of carbon every day.

less frequent, extending the dry season. Nobre estimates that if 20% to 25% of the forest is destroyed, the dry season will expand enough that it will no longer be a forest, but a savannah.

“Unfortunately, we are already seeing signs of the Amazon turning into a savannah,” he said, citing the increasingly long dry seasons. “It’s not just theoretical anymore, it’s happening already.”

WHAT IS CAUSING THE

FIRES? The current fires in the Amazon are not wildfires. They are manmade and are mostly set illegally by landgrabbers who are clearing the forest for cattle ranching and crops.

Deforesting the Amazon is a long, slow process. People clear the land by cutting down the vegetation during the rainy season, letting the trees dry out and burning them during the dry season.

Fully clearing the dense forest for agricultural use can take several years of slashing and burning.

“When I’m talking about 21st century deforestation, I don’t mean a family headed into the woods with a chainsaw,” said NASA researcher Doug Morton. “I mean tractors connected by large chains. They’re pulling trees out by their roots.”

He said researchers could see piles of trees months ago in satellite images. “They’re burning an enormous bonfire of Amazon logs that have been piled, drying in the sun for several months.”

The Baha'i Faith "The Earth is but one country and mankind its citizens."

Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892) Photo courtesy of Associated Press

zon absorbs 2 billion tons of CO2 per year (or 5% of annual emissions), making it a vi-

Nobre says we’re close to a “tipping point” that would turn the thick jungle into a

For more information contact 507-420-5228 or 1-800-22-UNITE (1-800-228-6483) www.bahai.us

Thursday, August 29, 2019

News

MSU Reporter • 9

Ethiopian fossil reveals face for ancestor of famed ‘Lucy’

Photo courtesy of ASsociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A fossil from Ethiopia is letting scientists look millions of years into our evolutionary history — and they see a face peering back.

The find, from 3.8 million years ago, reveals the face for a presumed ancestor of the species famously represented by Lucy, the celebrated Ethiopian partial skeleton found in 1974.

This ancestral species is the oldest known member of Australopithecus, a grouping of creatures that preceded our own branch of the family tree, called Homo.

Scientists have long known that this species — A. anamensis — existed, and previous fossils of it extend back to 4.2 million years ago. But the discovered facial remains

were limited to jaws and teeth. The newly reported fossil includes much of the skull and face.

It was described Wednesday in the journal Nature by Yohannes Haile-Selassie of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and co-authors.

The face apparently came from a male. Its middle and lower parts jut forward, while Lucy’s species shows a flatter mid-face, a step toward humans’ flat faces. The fossil also shows the beginning of the massive and robust faces found in Australopithecus, built to withstand strains from chewing tough food, researchers said.

The fossil was found in 2016, in what was once sand deposited in a river delta

on the shore of lake. At the time the creature lived, the area was largely dry shrubland with some trees. Other work has shown A. anamensis evidently walked upright, but there’s no evidence that it flaked stone to make tools, said study co-author Stephane Melillo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

Experts unconnected to the new study praised the work. Eric Delson of Lehman College in New York called the fossil “beautiful” and said the researchers did an impressive job of reconstructing it digitally to help determine its place in the evolutionary tree.

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News

Thursday, August 29, 2019

26 killed in fiery attack on bar in southern Mexico

COATZACOALCOS, Mexico (AP) — An attack on a bar in Mexico’s Gulf coast city of Coatzacoalcos killed 26 people and wounded about a dozen, officials said Wednesday, and they said it was apparently overseen by a man who had been recently arrested but released.

“The criminals went in, closed the doors, the emergency exits, and set fire to the place,” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at his daily morning news conference.

Veracruz state police said the Tuesday night attack targeted the “Bar Caballo Blanco,” or “White Horse Bar.” It advertised “quality, security and service,” private rooms for $7.50 “all night,”sexy girls” and a pole dance contest.

It is located just off a busy commercial street in Coatzacoalcos, a city whose main industry has long been oil and oil refining.

On Wednesday afternoon, relatives of the victims gathered anxiously outside state prosecutors’ offices with photos that could be used to identify their loved ones.

Those who had confirmation sat weeping in plastic chairs.

Vanessa Galindo Blas, 32, said her husband died in the fire. She sat shouting: “He didn’t deserve this. Why did they do this to me? I don’t to be here. I want to be with you.”

She said her 29-year-old husband, Erick Hernández Galindo, worked as the DJ in the bar and left behind three children.

Among the dead were two Filipino sailors. Ramón Guzman, the agent for the ship Caribe Lisa, brought the passports for the two men

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

“This is the most inhuman thing possible,” López Obrador said.

“It is regrettable that organized crime acts in this manner,” he said, adding, “It is

“This is the most inhuman thing possible.” more regrettable that there may be collusion with authorities.”

López Obrador said local prosecutors should be investigated because “the alleged perpetrators had been arrested, but they were freed.”

Gov. Cuitláhuac García identified the chief suspect as a man known as “La Loca” and gave his name as Ricardo

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

who were on leave and had been unaccounted for.

pects.

García said the man had been detained by marines in July, but was released after being turned over to the state prosecutor’s office.

because officials no longer give the full names of sus-

“In Veracruz, criminal gangs are no longer tolerated,” García wrote of the attack, adding that police, the armed forces and newly formed National Guard are searching for the attackers.

In an interview with Milenio TV, García said that 23 people had died in the bar and three more had succumbed to their injuries afterward. He said some of the remaining injured were in “very serious” condition and he left open the possibility that the toll could rise.

“It was a planned, cunning attack against that bar and the people who were inside,” he said. He added that businesses in the city have suffered similar fires. He said arrests were made in previous cases, but state prosecutors didn’t act.

In a statement, Veracruz prosecutors denied having released anyone, saying “La Loca” had indeed been arrested on two occasions but then handed over to federal prosecutors.

“A tragedy should not be used to distort the facts nor confuse public opinion,” the statement said.

The executive branch in Veracruz and the prosecutor’s office have long been at odds, leading to complaints against prosecutor Jorge Winckler alleging omissions and obstruction, charges he has always denied.

Anti-crime activist and businessman Raul Ojeda said the attack had all the hallmarks of an unmet demand for extortion payments.

“They have been threatening all the businesses like that,” Ojeda said. “The ones that don’t pay close down or pay the consequences, as in this case.”

He said the Zetas, Jalisco New Generation cartel and other local gangs are currently fighting for control of the city.

Photos of the scene showed tables and chairs jumbled around, with the bodies of semi-nude women lying amid the debris.

Veracruz prosecutors said the dead were 10 women and 16 men. There was no immediate word on the condition of the 11 wounded.

The attack came almost eight years to the day after a fire at a casino in the northern city of Monterrey killed 52 people. The Zetas drug cartel staged that 2011 attack to enforce demands for protection payments.

The Zetas, now splintered, have also been active in Coatzacoalcos. The Jalisco New Generation cartel also has a presence in the area and local journalists said “La Loca” is believed to be linked to that group.

Veracruz has suffered from high levels of organized crime for years. It was one of the first states where López Obrador deployed the country’s new National Guard in April after 13 people were killed during a party in Minatitlan, 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Coatzalcoalcos.

More recently, in early August, nine dismembered bodies were found in bags in the town of Maltrata.

According to the most recent government data, there are 2,500 guardsmen patrolling the state. They are among some 13,500 federal forces in Veracruz.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

News

MSU Reporter • 11

12 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Sick and dying workers demand help after cleaning coal ash KINGSTON, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority, long respected for providing good jobs and cheap electricity, is facing a growing backlash over its handling of a massive coal ash spill a decade ago, with potentially serious consequences for an industry often opposed to environmental regulation.

A jury in Knoxville decided within hours that the TVA’s contractor, Jacobs Engineering, breached its safety duties, exposing hundreds of cleanup workers to airborne “fly ash” with known carcinogens. The jurors said Jacobs’ actions were capable of making the workers sick.

The key question of whether they caused each worker’s injuries was left for a different jury in a second phase of the civil trial.

More than 200 workers blame the contractor for exposing them to ash they say caused a slew of illnesses, some fatal, including cancers of the lung, brain, blood and skin.

Despite last November’s favorable verdict for the first 72 plaintiffs, they won’t get monetary damages unless they can prove exactly what caused their specific illnesses. The judge, alluding to their urgent need for medical care, ordered mediation.

More than a hundred other plaintiffs await the outcome.

“To have the burden put on you, that you have to prove what caused these horrific things -- that’s an atroc-

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

a way that is safe — that the regulators have said is safe.”

He stressed that it hasn’t been proven that Jacobs — or even coal ash — is to blame for any illnesses.

The workers encountered a moonscape after a leaking six-story earthen dam collapsed at the TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant on Dec. 22, 2008, releasing more than a billion gallons of coal ash. It remains the largest industrial spill in modern U.S. history. It also prompted the EPA to begin regulating coal ash storage at more than 1,000 active ash dumps around the country,

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

ity,” said Janie Clark, whose husband, Ansol, has a rare blood cancer after driving a fuel truck at the site. “I guess that’s just the law.”

Jacobs’ attorney, Theodore Boutrous, said the company “was doing its best to help manage the cleanup in

although not as stringently as environmentalists would like.

The TVA paid for as many as 900 people to contain and remove the pollution, some working 12-hour shifts for months at a time. The sludge dried into a fine dust that sparkled like glitter

and sometimes whirled into clouds so thick, drivers could barely see past the hoods of their trucks.

In Associated Press interviews, workers said they were healthy before breathing the ash, but have since suffered unusual symptoms. They recalled joking darkly about “coal ash flu” before suffering strange lesions and seeing their skin flake off like fish scales. At least 40 co-workers have died, they said, some gruesomely, collapsing and coughing up blood.

“We cleaned it up in a little over five years, and it would’ve took 25 years to do it the right way,” said Doug Bledsoe, who drove trucks there and now has brain and lung cancer.

Foreman Michael Robinette testified that Jacobs safety manager Tom Bock ordered him to take one worker’s mask away and get rid of all the masks in the equipment room. “We threw them in the dumpster,” Robinette testified.

And Greg Schwartz, a Jacobs’ subcontractor, testified his supervisor said masks weren’t allowed “because it looked bad.”

“They didn’t want people driving by and seeing people with masks. That was the answer I got,” Schwartz said.

Bock, at trial, denied the workers’ allegations that he ordered dust masks destroyed or discouraged their use.

The TVA is not a defendant and hasn’t commented on these personal injury cases, other than to say Jacobs was responsible for worker safety

. With its reputation at stake, the agency stresses that coal ash is classified as “nonhazardous” by the EPA.” Duke University geochemist Avner Vengosh, who is not involved in the litigation, tested ash from the Kingston spill and found high levels of radioactivity and toxic metals, including arsenic and mercury. In a statement about his 2009 peer-reviewed study, he warned that inhaling airborne particles could “have a severe health impact on local residents or workers.”

But the workers said Jacobs safety supervisors told them “you could eat a pound of it a day and it wouldn’t hurt you.”

Ron Bledsoe, a truck driver who now struggles to breathe with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said supervisors made a big deal about safety glasses and steel-toed boots but downplayed the fly ash swirling around them.

Jacobs officials testified they followed regulations for air monitoring, with results verified by outside agencies, and found the workers were never exposed to dangerous levels. Workers testified they witnessed the monitoring being manipulated.

Regardless, experts say there isn’t enough research to establish a safe level of prolonged exposure to fly ash.

“We need more research, because people are potentially getting sick from coal ash,” said Kristina Zierold, an epidemiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who is not involved in the lawsuits. She compared it to the concerted effort it took to prove scientifically that smoking causes illness.

Regulations apply to dust in general and to many of the individual elements of fly ash, but more work is needed to understand what happens in the body when all those toxic chemicals are breathed in together. That’s one reason some of the workers may have an uphill battle proving their particular illnesses resulted from prolonged exposure, said Paul Terry, an epidemiologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who testified for the workers.

At a TVA board meeting last week, Janie Clark pleaded for help with the workers’ medical bills. “They cleaned up your mess,” she said.

“Please do not let these hardworking people be treated as collateral damage.”

TVA Board chairman Skip Thompson responded with sympathy but made no promises.

The Clarks wanted to visit a beach after the cleanup.

Janie’s never seen the ocean.

Ansol’s illness now makes that difficult. “They killed that dream in me.”

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Thursday, August 29, 2019

News

MSU Reporter • 13

Teen activist sails across Atlantic to go to climate meeting NEW YORK (AP) — Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in New York City to chants and cheers Wednesday after a trans-Atlantic trip on a sailboat to attend a global warming conference.

Thunberg, 16, and her crew were escorted into a lower Manhattan marina at about 4 p.m., concluding a two-week crossing from Plymouth, England. Hundreds of activists gathered on a Hudson River promenade to cheer her arrival.

Thunberg waved, was lifted onto a dock, then took her first wobbly steps on dry land.

“All of this is very overwhelming,” she said of the reception, looking slightly embarrassed.

The teenager refused to fly because of the carbon cost of plane travel. A 2018 study said that because of cloud and ozone formation, air travel may trap two to four times more heat than that caused by just emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Speaking to reporters after she landed, Thunberg said the trip wasn’t as uncomfortable as she expected.

She didn’t get seasick once, she said. But she stressed that “this is not something I want everyone to do.”

“It is insane that a 16-yearold would have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand,” she said. “The climate and ecological crisis is a global crisis, the biggest crisis that humanity has ever faced, and if we don’t man-

ments came “when you’re doing like 27, 28 knots and it’s very, very bumpy and you just try to hold on and not fall,” she said.

The boat was accompanied into New York by a flotilla of 17 sailboats the United Nations organized — one for each of the 17 U.N. goals to end poverty and preserve the environment by 2030, including action to prevent climate change.

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

ist Greta Thunberg to a Manhattan marina Wednesday after a trans-Atlantic trip on a sailboat to attend a climate conference. The 16-year-old and her crew finished a twoweek crossing from England.

(Aug. 28) Thunberg has become a symbol of a growing movement of young climate activists, leading weekly school strikes in Sweden that inspired similar actions in about 100 cities.

She’s in New York to speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit next month.

There, she’ll join world leaders who will present plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The boat carrying Thunberg, the Malizia II, encountered rough seas that slowed it down for a day. Taking turns steering the 60-foot (18-meter) racing yacht were two

cruise. The Malizia is built for high-speed, offshore racing, and weight is kept to a minimum. There is no toilet — just a bucket — or fixed shower aboard, no windows below deck and only a small gas cooker to heat up freezedried food.

The sailboat’s onboard electronics are powered by solar panels and underwater turbines.

Thunberg, the daughter of an actor and an opera singer, became a European celebrity last year when she refused to go to school in the weeks before Sweden’s general election to highlight the impact of climate change.

She continued her school strike on Fridays after the election, spurring thousands of young people to follow suit. Since then, she’s met the pope, spoken at Davos and attended anti-coal protests in Germany.

“He had to, because I had made up my mind I was going to go and he has to take care of me,” she told The As-

Upon her arrival in New York, Thunberg was asked whether she had a message for U.S. President Donald Trump, who rejects mainstream climate science.

“My message for him is just: listen to the science,” she said. “And he obviously doesn’t do that. So as I always say to this question: If

“Thunberg has become a symbol of a growing movement of young climate activists, leading weekly school strikes in Sweden that inspired similar actions in about 100 cities.” sociated Press, standing on a swaying dock by the sailboat.

“He didn’t want to, but I sort of forced him to do it and I think he’s happy he did it.”

The most dramatic mo-

no one has been able to convince him about the climate crisis, the urgency, then why should I be able to do that?

So I am just going to focus on spreading awareness.”

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age to work together and to cooperate and to work together despite our differences, then we will fail.”

Cheering crowds welcomed Swedish climate activ-

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She is now taking a year off school to pursue her activism.

Her father, Svante Thunberg, crossed the ocean with her.

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14 • MSU Reporter

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MSU Reporter • 15

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16 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, August 29, 2019 Have a story idea or a comment?

Minnesota State University, Mankato

EMAIL

Sports Editor Andrew Neururer

andrew.neururer@mnsu.edu

MSU women’s soccer shuts out Luther Mavericks improve to 2-0 in preseason with another impressive win ANDREW NEURURER SPORTS EDITOR It was Minnesota State soccer’s second game of the preseason and it ended up with yet another shutout.

After taking down University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 4-0, the Mavericks came out a few days later and took on Luther College Tuesday night, winning by a final score of 5-0.

In MSU’s first game, sophomore Jenny Vetter was the team’s MVP, scoring three of the four goals against the Eagles. She found more of that success against Luther, netting her fourth goal of the preseason. Vetter scored four goals in 23 games last season during her freshman year. In just two games this preseason, she has already matched that total, cutting it down by 21 games.

Sophomore Lauryn Smith scored the second goal of the

game after being assisted by freshman Tia Martin.

The Mavericks went into halftime leading 2-0 before scoring another three more in the second.

Junior Molly Sarafoiean, sophomore Nadia Lowery both scored and assisted and the final goal of the five came from forward Sydney Deprenger.

Along with Lowery and Martin, both freshman midfielder Abby Begin and sophomore defender Brooke Valiukas collected assists.

Much like the win in MSU’s first exhibition game against UW-La Crosse, the Mavericks used a variety of goaltenders.

In both games, freshman Mackenzie Rath, senior Alexa Rabune and freshman Ava Blakeney all had a helping hand in creating two shutout wins.

Against the Norse, the Mavericks collectively al-

Photo courtesy of MSU Athletics

lowed just one shot on net.

The Mavericks will round

up its preseason schedule Saturday against Northwest

Missouri State in Ankeny, Iowa.

Mavericks volleyball ends preseason on high note

Mavericks will head to Miami to play in the Barry University Classic ANDREW NEURURER SPORTS EDITOR

The Minnesota State Mavericks volleyball team ended its preseason schedule against Gustavus Adolphus Tuesday night, coming away with a 3-1 victory.

The ending score for each set was, 25-22, 19-25, 25-16 and 25-16. The Golden Gusties were able to tie up the score in the second set, but it was the Mavericks who were able to put an end to any potential run they may have been able to create.

MSU was able to handle Gustavus Adolphus in the first set, but it wasn’t a dominant one. The Mavericks commanded just an 18-15 lead at one point in the set, but by the end of it, they were able to come out on top, 25-22.

The Golden Gusties were able to take the second set after coming out of the gates hot, taking a lead of 10-5. The largest lead they held during the set was seven.

Again, the Mavericks squashed any potential momentum the Golden Gusties

Mansoor Ahmad | MSU Reporter

could create, winning by a large margin of nine points during the third set.

Eventually, Minnesota State was able to walk home with a victory in the fourth set. They again won by nine

points, 25-16.

Seniors Anissa Janzig and Joie Veldman led the team with 12 kills each.

Junior Micayla Porter led the team in assists with 19.

MSU will head into the reg-

ular season with the Barry University Classic. The volleyball team will play four games in Miami, Florida. The first game is Friday, Sept. 6 against American International.MSU will head into the regular sea-

son with the Barry University Classic. The volleyball team will play four games in Miami, Florida. The first game is Friday, Sept. 6 against American International.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Sports

MSU Reporter • 17

Vikings look to go perfect in the preseason After a disappointing 2018-19 season, Minnesota has eyes on playoffs

Photos courtesy of the Associated Press

AARON YOUNG STAFF WRITER After losing to divisional rival, the Chicago Bears, in what was a win and in the playoff’s situation, the Minnesota Vikings come into the new season looking to shrug off the devastating loss. So far, they are on track to have a successful season, as they are 3-0 in the preseason.

They kicked off the preseason with a victory against the New Orleans Saints, defeating them 34-25. All three quarterbacks for the Vikings shined as each threw a Touchdown and had great QB rating. This was highlighted by Kirk Cousins throwing a perfect 4/4 for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Backups Sean Mannion and Kyle Sloter combined for 164 yards on 13 passing attempts.

On the ground, Mike Boone ran for 70 yards and one TD, including a highlight 64-yard run. Boone is someone to look out for as he has been spectacular every time he steps onto the field. He might not get the starting spot anytime soon and will be fighting for a roster spot, but when he does, Boone will not disappoint.

Their next matchup was a date with the Seattle Seahawks, where they won 2519. In the first quarter, Dan

Bailey kicked a 24-yard field to put Minnesota up 3-0. The Seahawks responded back with a field goal of their own and an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown from Jason Myers.

In the third quarter, Sloter connected with wide receiver Brandon Zylstra, on a four-yard TD pass, giving the Vikings a 17-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Sloter threw for 116 yards and a TD, going 11-13 on passing attempts. He’s another player to keep an eye on and could be the potential backup to Kirk Cousins.

In the fourth, rookie running back Khari Blasingame, found the endzone and scored the only rushing TD of the game for the Vikings, giving them a comfortable lead and contributing to their victory.

Last Saturday, the Vikings got a glimpse of what Kyler Murray was made of, as they went head-to-head against the Arizona Cardinals.

Minnesota came out of the gates running for a TD on their first drive, when Dalvin Cook went the distance for 85 yards. After being sidelined for five games last year with a hamstring injury, Cook is certainly ready to take back his rightful place as the starter – especially with the departure of Latavius Murray.

In the fourth quarter, Boone ran seven yards for a TD and Sloter threw a 15-yard TD pass to Khari Blasingame, putting up 20 points and a third straight victory.

Thursday night marks the

Vikings’ final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Given their success so far, Minnesota fans could see their team go a perfect 4-0, which would definitely have fans breathing a sigh of relief.

With the regular season less than one week away, the Vikings seem to be on the right track. A Super Bowl may be in their sights and if not, a playoff appearance would still leave fans satisfied.

Photos courtesy of the Associated Press

18 • MSU Reporter

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Sports

MSU Reporter • 19

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Gonzalez, Schoop homer, Pineda solid as Twins top White Sox CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Pineda and the Minnesota Twins came through with a tidy effort when they didn't have much room for error.

Marwin Gonzalez and Jonathan Schoop hit solo homers in the second inning, Pineda pitched five sharp innings to help the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Eddie Rosario knocked in an insurance run in the eighth as the AL Central-leading Twins won their third straight to remain 3 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland.

Minnesota (80-51) moved to 29 games above .500 for the first time since Sept. 26, 2010.

Tim Anderson's 14th homer accounted for the only run off Pineda (10-5), who won his third straight start and fourth straight decision. The right-hander allowed four hits and walked one while striking out eight, but was replaced by Sam Dyson to start the sixth after 89 pitches.

"Mike was great and and our entire bullpen really came up big for us today," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "Nobody folded at any point and just continued to go out there and get outs, and it started with Mike.

"We've leaned on Mike and you see his name come around in the rotation and you really start looking forward to it."

Tyler Duffey, Sergio Romo and Taylor Rogers followed as Minnesota's bullpen finished with four scoreless innings. Rogers pitched a perfect ninth for his 21st save.

The Twins faced a potentially

tall order against White Sox ace Lucas Giolito (14-7), who shut them in a three-hitter while striking out 12 and walking none in Minneapolis last week.

However, Giolito wasn't as crisp this time, giving up two runs and four hits with three walks in six innings. He struck out nine to reach 203 for the season.

"We know Giolito is a great pitcher, especially this year," Pineda said. "I'm thinking how I can pitch a good game and give an opportunity to my team to just win."

Giolito threw 106 pitches, topping 100 for the fifth straight outing, and enjoyed facing the Twins again so quickly.

"It was pretty fun," Giolito said.

"They made some adjustments for sure from the last outing. The elevated fastball wasn't working as well today. ... So kind of went a different route after the second inning. It ended up working out pretty well, but came up just short."

Max Kepler, who leads the Twins with 35 home runs, didn't start, but pinch-hit in the eighth and then played center in an outfield shift after Gonzalez left with an abdominal issue that Baldelli said isn't serious. Minnesota still increased its major league-leading homer total to 255.

The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the second on solo shots by Gonzalez and Schoop, although Giolito fanned the three other Minnesota batters in the inning.

Gonzalez led off by lofting a 1-2 pitch into the right-field stands for his 15th homer. With two

outs, Schoop hit an 0-1 pitch deep to left for his 19th.

Anderson's homer to right-center leading off the fourth was Chicago's first hit and cut it to 2-1.

Jorge Polanco, Nelson Cruz and Rosario line three straight singles in the eighth to make it 3-1 ANOTHER SET OF TWINS Following the game many of the Twins players were watching Tyler Rogers — Taylor's twin brother — make his major league debut for the San Francisco Giants against Arizona on TV. A group including Taylor was rooting robustly for Tyler, a reliever who arrived in the majors more than three years later than his sibling.

"I think I was the most excited person on Planet Earth right there," Taylor said. "We're different. Just because we're twins, doesn't mean we have to be compared to each other, different paths.

The Rogers twins are 28. Taylor is a left-hander. Tyler is a righty.

BULLPEN TWEAK Minnesota recalled RHP Randy Dobnak from Triple-A Rochester and optioned LHP Lewis Thorpe to the farm club before the game.

TRAINER'S ROOM Twins: Rosario started in left field after missing three games with right hamstring tightness. ..

Baldelli said OF Byron Buxton's Class A rehab assignment

at Class A Cedar Rapids was suspended after he felt pain in his injured left shoulder during batting practice. Buxton, who has been out since Aug. 1, will be re-evaluated.

White Sox: OF Eloy Jiménez returned to left field after serving as the DH for two games as he eased back in to the lineup with a sore right hip flexor. ... INF/ OF Leury Garcia started in right after being hit with a pitch in the left shin and leaving Sunday's game versus Texas.

UP NEXT: Twins RHP Jake Odorizzi (13-6, 3.57) faces White Sox LHP Ross Detwiler (2-3, 5.51) on Wednesday night.

Photos courtesy of the Associated Press

20 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Gophers will send deep backfield at SDSU in opener MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Rodney Smith went down with a season-ending knee injury in the second game of 2018, Minnesota turned to Mohamed Ibrahim as the lead ball carrier and enjoyed a seamless senior-to-freshman handoff of the backfield baton.

This year, those two will probably be passing it back and forth a lot more.

Smith, granted a medical redshirt, has returned with his 2,959 career rushing yards for a sixth season. Ibrahim, the second-leading freshman rusher in college football last year, has gladly made room for a widely respected player who became a mentor and unofficial coach while rehabbing last season.

"I'd say we are the tightest-knit group on the team. I'm sure everybody says that, but we truly have a bond that, off of the football field, you can see," Smith said. "We're there for each other off of the field when things go on. Injuries, we're all there.

Surgeries, we all show up. Just to make sure that we're all taken care of."

When the Gophers take on South Dakota State in the opener Thursday night, they will surely send a steady stream of carries by both Smith and Ibrahim at the Jackrabbits in an attempt to establish their strength.

"They're game-breaker type guys," Jackrabbits coach John Stiegelmeier said, adding: "We're going to have to grab some cloth and gang tackle."

Another sophomore, Bryce Williams, had 502 yards and four touchdowns for Minnesota in 2018. Coach P.J. Fleck said he'll also look to play true freshmen Treyson Potts and Cam Wiley against South Dakota State. Not to be left out of the mix for 2019 is fifth-year senior Shannon Brooks, whose knee injuries have set him back the last two seasons and was still in rehab mode when fall camp began.

"We need to have running backs in the Big Ten. If you ask any head football coach and say, 'I'll give you five to six running backs that can play,' I don't think there's anyone who would turn that down. As physical of a conference we're in, especially the teams that run the ball as much as we run the ball, you want to have depth," Fleck said.

The quartet of Smith, Brooks, Ibrahim and Williams has already logged a total of 1,328 carries, 6,503 yards, 52 touchdowns and 12 seasons over their careers. They'll likely all share the load in some undetermined way over the course of this fall.

"What we've described to them is, 'Guys, that means you're healthier. That means as a team, we're going to be better,'" Fleck said.

FCS MEMORIES Border-state FCS schools have

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

been challenging matchups for Minnesota. The practical driving distance to the game and excitement of playing at a Big Ten venue always lures thousands of fans of the opposition, and the 215-mile trip from Brookings, South Dakota, will be sure to bring plenty of supporters.

The Gophers lost two of three games this century against North Dakota State (27-21 in 2007 and 37-24 in 2011) and dropped their only matchup with South Dakota (41-38 in 2010). Even the wins were iffy, a 10-9 decision over North Dakota State in 2006 and a 16-13 victory over South Dakota State in 2009.

This year, the Jackrabbits are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the two major preseason FCS polls.

"It's not something where we're going to walk into their stadium and be in awe of things," said Stiegelmeier, who has begun his 23rd year on the job.

BOX OFFICE BUMP? Like many of their FBS peers, the Gophers have seen an attendance decline over the last decade, despite their move back to campus to open TCF Bank Stadium in 2009. The athletic department has begun several new initiatives to try to fill the buildings in the revenue-producing sports, and a 24-hour promotion of $10 tickets last week for the South Dakota State game resulted in 7,127 seats sold.

NEW LOOK The Jackrabbits replaced Taryn

Christion, the program's all-time leading passer who's in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys, with redshirt freshman J'Bore Gibbs. They also have a new offensive coordinator, Jason Eck. The Gophers aren't exactly sure what to expect for plays and formations.

"You're scheming for ghosts," Fleck said.

STRONG STARTS The Gophers have won 15 straight nonconference games and 19 of their last 20 nonconference home games, with the only loss on Sept. 3, 2015, a 23-17 decision against sec-

ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!

ond-ranked TCU. PLAYING UP The Jackrabbits, who joined the FCS in 2004 from Division II, are 1-8 against FBS opponents.

They won at Kansas 41-38 in the 2015 opener.

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Sports

MSU Reporter • 21

Lynx beat Sky to claim 9th straight playoff spot

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sylvia Fowles had a season-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, moving into third on the WNBA career rebounding list, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Chicago Sky 93-85 on Tuesday night to claim their ninth straight playoff berth.

Fowles has 3,307 career rebounds, passing Lisa Leslie and trailing Tamika Catchings (3,316) and Rebekkah Brunson (3,356).

Chicago guard Courtney Vandersloot also set a league record, breaking her single-season assists record on an inbounds pass to Diamond DeShields early in the third quarter. Vandersloot had five assists in the first quarter to tie her mark of 258 and she finished the game with 10.

Odyssey Sims had 23 points and eight assists for Minnesota (16-15), which swept Chicago this season. Napheesa Collier added 19 points. Damiris Dantas had 17 points and 10 boards and Danielle Robinson scored nine as the starters scored every point for Minnesota.

Cheyenne Parker scored 22 points, Diamond DeShields added 19 and Astou Ndour had 17 for Chicago (18-12).

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

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22 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, August 29, 2019 Have a story idea or a comment?

Minnesota State University, Mankato

EMAIL

A&E Editor Kolby Spomer

kolby.spomer@mnsu.edu

New Music Friday: A Preview

Photo courtesy of Facebook

MADISON DIEMERT EDITOR IN CHIEF Summer is soon ending, but not without a slew of great music.

This Friday, alternative pop artist Lana Del Rey is dropping her fifth album, Norman F***ing Rockwell! The album has been highly anticipated following her critically ac-

claimed album, Lust For Life.

Del Rey has only very recently been introduced to the mainstream. Her first album to shoot her into stardom, Born to Die saw

several radio hits, but Ultraviolence and Honeymoon were the albums to put her on the map. Ultraviolence went number one on the Billboard 200 during the first week and

MUSIC page 24

Thoughts about the Pothole, a local conspiracy HANNAH KRUSTY STAFF WRITER A SATIRE PIECE How could something so iconic have been taken away against the will of so many?

Yes, I am referring to the roughly 4 foot in diameter pothole that graced the lot of Mankato’s very own Burger King. Fed up with the hazard, a worker threw down bricks and rocks into the mess.

And so it was formed. It was a bastion against the gentrification that Mankato has likely been through, having become a hub for college students.

In the 90s, Mankato used to see many punk and metal bands-- people that are essentially crusty, always on the road, and poor. No one really knows exactly how or why the scene died out, but there aren’t too many alternative shows going on anymore.

Hole in the wall venues and bars slowly changed into

Photo courtesy of Facebook

wine bars, upscale office buildings (that are somehow still under construction), and fancy artist spaces.

That pothole was iconic. The pothole spoke out

against the deterioration into the upscale slumdog haven that Mankato has become.

Someone wanted it gone, gone in our collective minds and hearts, so that we could

turn back into quiet, complicit sheeple that allow the city to be taken over, driven into becoming overpriced, boring, and... pretty.

Well, I am sick of it. And we

CONSPIRACY page 23

Thursday, August 29, 2019

A&E

MSU Reporter • 23

“Scary Stories” lives up to its namesake RACHAEL JAGER STAFF WRITER At first, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark opens with a normal autumn setting of jocks wearing green jerseys and brightly changing leaves.

But nothing is as it seems and everything changes after a group of high school kids enter an old forbidden house and one of them, Stella (Zoe Margaret Colleti) takes a book.

The setting takes place in 1968 on Halloween night and continues for several following days in which half of those kids disappear and no one sees them again. The repeated saying, “Stories hurt, stories heal” echo throughout as the theme throughout the film. The film also opens with the song “The Season of the Witch” which you later realize is somewhat of a foreshadowing of Sarah Bellows who haunts the kids with their stories as the plot unfolds.

Stella, the main character, dresses like a witch for Halloween and she looks eerie with her white makeup and her pimples. She is obsessed with horror movies and has the popular ones from the 1960s plastered all over her wall. Tucked in a corner is Stella’s typewriter where it looks like she had started a story but hasn’t finished it.

She has a fierce passion to write her own stories from her imagination but lacks the courage to submit any for publication. Because of who she is, many of her classmates believe she is weird, except for two loyal guy friends, Auggie (Gabriel Rush) and Chuck (Austin Zajur).

The typewriter becomes an association with Sarah Bellows, a local legend who also wrote her own stories but was dismissed as crazy.

She knew the truth about her family poisoning the local water with mercury and tried to warn others, only for her family to shut her up. Because Sarah wasn’t listened to during her lifetime, she writes stories in dark red bloody letters that come true for the people who are reading them as she is telling them. She forces people to pay for her family’s past sins and for the lies told about her.

In present day, 1968, Auggie and Chuck dress in Halloween costumes which fall short of what they intended; one wanted to be Spiderman but his mom sewed it to look like a spider that

Photo courtesy of Facebook

only had a couple legs while the other one was mistaken for a clown. They spring a smelly surprise on Tommy Milner (Austin Abrams), who steals their candy every year.

Tommy chases them and they hide in a car at a drivein theater where they meet Ramon (, who is an outcast because he is an immigrant and treated like a criminal just because of his heritage.

It turns out he will have to confront a demon of his own later on in the movie since he ran away from being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. However, Stella takes to him and she stands up for him and becomes a strong force for him like with Sarah Bellows’ ghost later.

As a bully, Tommy eventually faces himself. Despite how late it is when he comes home, his mother orders him to take chickens to a neighbor. Earlier Tommy had beat on the scarecrow a couple of different times and now, in the dark, the scarecrow stalks him and acquires justice.

A second character vanishes after they eat stew and discover a big toe in it, and the owner of the toe hunts that character down. Millions of spiders burst out of a third character’s zit and leave them with marks just before that character is meant to perform a play.

While Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has its dark, disgusting, and disturbing elements, to scare wasn’t the point of the movie. The conclusion is Stella is Sarah and Sarah is Stella in a sense since they were lonely girls but in different circumstances. Stella’s mom ran off when she was little and Stella has blamed herself since then and because of how Sarah was treated during her lifetime, she retaliates and hurts those who are living since she cannot let go.

The lesson in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has more to do with the stories we tell ourselves and what we tell ourselves, can lead us to scary places because of our own fears but we can learn to conquer them. It is also a lesson in how people should treat each other because actions tend to affect interactions and future outcomes of those interactions. Instead of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark being a tale of revenge, it is one tale told of a good witch, Stella, who sets to right what was wrong by speaking up and telling stories.

CONSPIRACY

Continued from page 22 have to acknowledge who is behind it.

The 1996 children’s show Arthur depicts animals, characters whom would normally engage in predator/ prey relations, being friendly with one another, despite being depicted eating meat occasionally throughout the show. Who are they eating?

Is there a sub-par, enslaved caste system where the animals pick their meat from? Who decides who gets eaten and who eats?

Similarly, on episode 242a (season 12), Patrick from the hit show Spongebob reveals that he has a fishing license.

This reveal is more sinister and horrific than anything to come out of Midsommar, ashehasthegrinofamaniac.

Whodoeshefish?Doesheeatorenslaveour vertebrata friends? With the power these seemingly innocuous characters possess, and the fame they already enjoy, they are in an elite class of society: hence, they have power. With power comes responsibility, with responsibility comes fairness, with fairness comes the need to

be just at all times. But they aren’t. Greed and power tripping have turned these characters into monsters, monsters that have no regard for the life of their fellow citizens and have a taste for the flesh of their brethren. You know what else comes with power and fame? Money.

That is right. The real slumlords, who you think is your landlord, are these characters. From the hard earned money you make, Patrick, Arthur, and your other beloved childhood friends lobby lawmakers into enacting the laws that allow them to cannibalize their peers.

How does this tie into the pothole? Good question.

How do you think they can keep making money off of your rent if Mankato isn’t an upper-middle class paradise? And this isn’t even the beginning of this conspiracy that I’m about to blow the lid off of.

I can’t type anymore.

Someone’s at the door right now. Weird, it’s 4:00 AM...

24 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Netflix offers fans a faithful return to 'The Dark Crystal' NEW YORK (AP) — Louis Leterrier knew he’d immediately face scrutiny from superfans of “The Dark Crystal” when he became director of its prequel. After all, he’s a superfan, too.

The French director calls Jim Henson’s groundbreaking 1982 fantasy puppet feature “a jewel of creation” and says it’s the main reason he became a filmmaker. He knew messing with its legacy was a dicey proposition.

“The keepers of that jewel are really hardcore about it.

They really are ultra-protective and fearful. I’ve known that for a while. I’ve known that because I was one of them,” he said.

Fans will get a look at what Leterrier has achieved with “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” a 10-episode prequel debuting Friday on Netflix. They’ll find something remarkably respectful and vast — 83 puppeteers and 70 different creature species.

“I tell people it’s the biggest puppet production in history,” said Lisa Henson, daughter of the creator and chief executive of his entertainment company. “The scale of it is very awesome.”

The 1982 film, which Jim Henson co-directed with Frank Oz, was the first big live-action film to feature no human actors. While not a runaway success, the film has achieved cult status, riffed about on “South Park” and its music was sampled by the Crystal Method.

The new series is set on the same planet of Thra many years before the events of the movie, but has familiar characters — the kind, elf-like Gelflings and the evil dinosaur-buzzard Skeksis. As in the original, it is often the wonderfully realized minor creatures, insects and plants that really wow. Leterrier’s camera swirls and soars over this dynamic planet.

The new filmmakers were faithful to Henson’s sense of handcrafted art, using computers only when necessary — flying or swimming — or to enhance the characters, with, say, tongues that wrap around food. Some technology tricks — 3D printers, animatronics or filming scenes and then going back to cut out the puppeteers — were employed but no giant leaps from Henson’s legacy were made. If the Skeksis in the original film required six puppeteers, the same is the case for the series. Foam latex skin was also used for both projects.

Actor Taron Egerton jumped at the chance to join the new series, voicing a Gelfling named Rian. Egerton saw the 1982 film with his father and found it enchanting.

“It was otherworldly and completely different to anything I had seen at that age. And it’s still completely different to anything I’ve seen. I think that’s the wonderful thing about ‘The Dark Crystal.’ It is totally its own thing,” he said.

Netflix has taken some risk resurrecting such a beloved title. The main writers — Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews — had never done TV or undertaken anything so sprawling, while Leterrier, whose big-screen credits include action movies like “The Transporter” and “The Incredible Hulk” had no experience in TV or with puppets.

environmental degradation and tyranny.

“These were the things that 37 years ago Jim Henson was worried about and was talking about. Now more than ever, it’s in the forefront of the news,” said Leterrier.

“I guess that’s also why this movie stayed close to my heart — the stakes felt real.”

(Kevin Baker/Netflix via AP) Netflix bankrolled a test to see how the series would look and that six-month process of building sets and characters became a puppet school for Leterrier. “I mean, it’s not like I’m casting Brad Pitt. I have to create Brad Pitt,” he said, laughing.

Leterrier also visited some original “Dark Crystal” puppets at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta to see how they moved — piano wire over wooden skeletons.

This time, the puppets are

“The new series is set on the same planet of Thra many years before the events of the movie, but has familiar characters” But he had passion, discussing various techniques and plot ideas with Henson’s heirs. “Here’s a Frenchman pouring his heart out and telling them how important Jim Henson is and ‘The Dark Crystal’ was to me,” he said.

After he accepted the job, he admitted he freaked out. “I realized, ‘What did you do, Louis? You’re such an idiot!

You’re going to ruin it! You don’t know. You’ve just done action movies and karate movies. You cannot do this thing. Why, why, why?’” he recalled thinking. Then he joked: “I guess they were impressed by the accent.”

Leterrier and Henson’s children didn’t initially decide on a prequel. They first thrashed around for a way to create a sequel. But they couldn’t seem to get beyond the 1982 film’s ending — the grand unification of the Skeksis and Mystics and the healing of the crystal.

Leterrier calls it “an enormous exclamation point — one of the biggest in movie history.” So instead of building a sequel, they teased out the mythology of the first film along with input from the original filmmakers.

They came up with a sweeping story that deals with

lighter but the workload was bigger. To fill 10 hours, the series features 75 sets and 170 puppets, some of which took eight months to build.

There’s even a puppet show within the puppet show.

The new and the old “Dark Crystal” projects actually share DNA. Brian Froud, the conceptual artist for the 1982 film and his puppet-builder wife, Wendy, both worked on the new series. Their son, Toby, is the design supervisor. (He was the baby abducted by David Bowie in Henson’s “Labyrinth.”)

Lisa Henson said the creators tried to keep two different audiences happy: “Both the people who loved ‘The Dark Crystal’ and for whom it is a very special memory and those who’ve never heard of ‘The Dark Crystal’ and couldn’t imagine that they would watch 10 hours of puppets on television,” she said, adding: “We went back and forth between those two mind-sets to think about those audiences while we were making the show.”

Thursday, August 29, 2019

MUSIC

Continued from page 22

Honeymoon went number two. Lust For Life was her second album to hit number one on the Billboard 200 and featured artists such as The Weeknd and A$AP Rockey.

It’s speculated that Del Rey will feature more artists on Norman F***ing Rockwel!l and one such artist is Jack Antonoff of Bleachers.

Antonoff has worked with other artists such as Taylor Swift, Lorde and Sara Bareilles. Antonoff produced and wrote Norman F***ing Rockwell! with Del Rey as well.

The album is available for pre-order and will be available to stream at midnight on Friday, August 30.

Another exciting release to look forward to this Friday is world-renowned artist Sheryl Crow’s album, Threads. It is her 11th studio album.

Be Myself, Crow’s last album released in 2017, received a 69 on MetaCritic and peaked at 22 on the Billboard 200. It was also number three on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums. Crow, a Grammy Award-winning artist has been releasing music

since 1993 with her first album, Tuesday Night Music Club. The album won three Grammy Awards.

The popular American rock band Tool is also releasing an album on Friday. Fear Inoculum will be the band’s fifth album. It succeeds their album released in 2006, 10,000 Days. After over a decade, fans are especially excited for new music.

10,000 Days peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and it’s likely that with such a highly anticipated release Fear Inoculum will be greatly received by the public.

JPEGMAFIA, an underground-turned-mainstream rapper is also releasing a studio album this Friday titled All My Heroes Are Cornballs.

JPEG’s last studio album, Veteran, was decided by The Rolling Stone to be number 20 out of 30 of the Best HipHop Albums of 2018 and according to The 405, it’s number seven in the Top 50 Albums of 2018.All My Heroes Are Cornballs is looking to reach critical acclaim as 2018 closes to its end.

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Thursday, August 29, 2019

A&E

MSU Reporter • 25

26 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Comic by Alyssa Bunde

Your weekly horoscope ALYSSA BUNDE STAFF WRITER Aries Today you may feel some tension towards others but ignore and move past it.

Spend time doing what you love and surround yourself with what’s most comforting.

Prioritize your ideas and opportunities, as your intuition will know what you need and don’t in your life right now.

Taurus You may feel like you have an advantage over others today. Creative urges are powerful today but take it with caution as great power can come with great doubt.

Trust your intuition and get in touch with your emotions because true power comes from within and a strong selfworth.

Gemini Get moving today, walk to class or take the long way home today. It’s a day for movement and reflecting.

Don’t start anything new today, instead improve on what’s already going on. Trust in your close ones today and trust that your issues of life will only get easier.

Cancer Today may be an emotionally intense one. While

you may be on a confidence boost lately, don’t let the possible downs of today de-rail your progress. Some things are beyond your control. Express your uniqueness with confidence, because only you can carry yourself to the exciting changes that are on the horizon.

Leo Tensions with others can be expected today, but it’ll be best to relax and take time for yourself. People may be noticing a change in you and only some of them may be happy with it. Just remember that not everyone’s opinions matter. In addition, creativity will be flowing today if you allow yourself to focus.

Virgo Your to-do list can seem q zite extensive and grueling today but keep moving.

Changes are coming your way and while it may not be the best day to leap into them, take time to weigh the pros and cons. Only you can know what’s best but with the level-headedness flowing through today it should be a great time to decide and accomplish todays tasks.

Libra Today is a day for recharging as changes are coming your way. Great news is on

your way today and socializing is in your best interest.

Find those who care for you and give you energy. Don’t dwell on the negatives because they will soon fade.

Scorpio Watch out for over-loading yourself with others issues today and shelving your own.

You may be anxious about putting things behind you so instead you may be putting them to the side. so, take all that advice you’ve been giving others to apply it to yourself.

Sagittarius Avoid toxic people and those from your past today.

Today is for yourself and thinking about which habits should stay and which should go. Ambitions are high today and tasks will easily be checked off your to-do list.

Capricorn Don’t dance around the truth today, you will be on you’re A-game today. Your communication skills are sharp and today is a day for learning, teaching and discussing. Shake any negativity you may be feeling, shake up your routine and shine today.

Aquarius Dig deep into yourself today and do some soul-searching. Tensions in

your relationships may rise today so take time to discover if they are what you want to be doing with your time.

Trust your instincts and try detaching yourself from the situation.

Pisces Stillness is around you today; things may be finally

settling down. It might be a great day to re-approach old issues in new refreshing ways. A new perspective can do wonders. Creative and collaboration success is in the forecast. Enjoy the present while also acknowledging the past, even if painful, it’s what brought you to today.

PETER PAN PRESCHOOL & CHILDCARE is seeking TEACHERS, AIDES, and SUBS in NORTH MANKATO

Call Marsha at 507-387-8213 peterpan@hickorytech.net

Thursday, August 29, 2019

A&E

MSU Reporter • 27

Fall Film Preview: Bong Joon Ho and ‘Parasite’ are coming for you NEW YORK (AP) — Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” may be the only film this fall that’s already an award-winner and a box-office smash.

“Parasite” will arrive in U.S. theaters Oct. 11 after having already amassed $70.9 million in Bong’s native South Korea, where the film notched one of the country’s best opening weekends ever.

In May, “Parasite” won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, a first for a Korean film.

“When I wake up and see the Palme d’Or trophy, it’s very curious and strange,” says the 49-year-old director, speaking by phone from Seoul.

But for most, there was nothing odd about Bong’s win. “Parasite,” a class satire about two families — one of poor hustlers living in a subterranean dwelling subsisting on their wits and stolen Wi-Fi, the other wealthy and residing in a stylish modern mansion — has been roundly hailed as a masterpiece and, perhaps, a culmination of Bong’s already illustrious career as a filmmaker of mischievous genre subversions, warm-hearted earnestness and stylistic daring.

Those qualities may sound almost contradictory but that’s exactly the kind of head-spinning amalgamation you get in a Bong Joon Ho

movie. They — and in particular “Parasite” — balance humor and horror, satire and sincerity with a magical ease.

You never see anything coming. You might even giggle at his cunning. You’ll laugh as he devours you.

“I try to be a like a parasite. I try to burrow and dig into the audience’s minds,” Bong says. “I love the feeling of infiltrating into the audience without them knowing.

Instead of showing-off that I’m breaking the rules of genre, I want to creep into them quietly without making any blood so that they don’t realize that I’m inside them.”

That mastery of audiences, combined with a childlike sense of wonder and an ecstatic imagination (Bong’s previous film, “Okja,” featured glorious “super pigs”) has made Bong one of the few filmmakers who live up to the label of “Spielbergian.” His ardent supporters include Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Quentin Tarantino, who attended the Cannes premiere of “Parasite.” His devoted fans have adopted the proud moniker of the Bong Hive.

And for the Bong Hive, times are good. “Parasite” is poised to be that rare thing: a foreign language movie capable of drawing big crowds in theaters and contending at the Academy Awards. (South

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

Korea has already made it its foreign language film submission.)

“We have huge ambitions for the film,” says Tom Quinn, founder and chief executive of Neon, which will distribute “Parasite” in the U.S. “We think it’s a multiple-category contender in this year’s Oscars race.”

Such a release might give Bong the kind of moment with American moviegoers that he hasn’t exactly been missing, but has thus far been marred by distraction.

His English-language debut “Snowpiercer,” while it eventually emerged as an arthouse hit, was tarnished by the attempted meddling of producer Harvey Weinstein.

Bong was able to ultimately rebuff Weinstein’s efforts to cut 20 minutes and add monologues, but it damaged the movie’s release, which was ultimately overseen cutfree by Quinn’s Radius label.

Okja” (2017), Bong’s biggest budget film at $57 million, became enveloped in controversy as a Netflix release in Cannes, a festival that has since outlawed movies without a theatrical release from its main competition. And, besides, Bong is best experienced on the big screen.

“He’s a spectacular visionary but he’s also a humanist,” says Quinn. “It’s a magic

trick. You keep sticking your hand in the hat and out comes another rabbit. It continues to unfold in a way that is so unexpected.”

Since his 2006 breakthrough “The Host” (a delirious hybrid of a monster movie and family drama) Bong has long been sought after by Hollywood with offers he’s regularly dismissed.

He’s written all seven of the movies he’s directed.

“Especially after ‘The Host,’ with my previous agency, there were many proposals about directing films of that kind, even superhero films,” says Bong. “Don’t get me wrong. There are many great superhero films. I have respect for them. But I guess it’s a personal paranoia. Superheros always wear a clingy spandex. I can’t stand to be in skin-tight clothes. Watching them is even suffocating to me, so I don’t think I can direct one.”

Bong first came up with the idea of “Parasite” in 2013, initially imagining it as a play with the stage divided between the two houses. He drew partly on his experience as a college student teaching private lessons for the middle school boy of a rich family.

(Bong didn’t have to con his way into the job, as seen in “Parasite.” But he only lasted three months.)

It’s also a personal film

for Bong because he connects it with his late mentor, director Kim Ki-young. Kim was a kind of godfather to the filmmakers of the New Korean Cinema of the 2000s; his 1960 film “The Housemaid,” considered one of the great Korean films, also dealt with class and centered on a two-story house. (Bong also cites what he calls his favorite crime movie, Claude Chabrol’s “The Ceremony” and the 1963 British classic “The Servant” as “Parasite” inspirations.)

“Parasite” completes a kind of accidental trilogy for Bong of capitalism satires.

“Snowpiercer” was a highspeed science-fiction parable about the lower-class section of a train carrying all of humanity rebelling against the train’s upper-class in the front. “Okja” depicted a duplicitous global food corporation. In “Parasite,” Bong wanted to contemplate the divisions between haves and haves-not more intimately, at home.

“For a creative mind, it’s natural to make their art about the time that they’re living in,” says Bong. “We kind of deny that capitalism is such a big part of our time.”

28 • MSU Reporter

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Thursday, August 29, 2019