State fair sparks southern controversy
CONTENT
Sidelines Lens
NEWS community assists with 3 MTSU constuction of 9/11 memorial By Michael Wilson
Guild produces juicy surprise By Ashleigh Taylor
COVER STORY Politics heat up as state fair opens gates: 4 Legislation sparks confusion, backlash By Alex Hubbard
FEATURES Center for Popular Music: ‘A Gem in MTSU’s 6 The Crown’ By Emily Kubis
RANTS AND RAVES out local happenings 8 Check By Jessica Kryza ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Into Steel is pure gold 10 Copper By Jane Horne Run’ crashes and burns 11 ‘HitByand Josh Young
Country music’s princess prepares for pop world reign By Jane Horne
12
Main St. Live!: A new venue with a familiar location By Jay Powell
Health and flavor cohabitate at Pita Pit on Rutherford By Jay Powell
OPINIONS 14
Intellectual property laws stifle innovation, restrict choices By Alex Harris
Theft of intellectual property hurts all consumers By Christopher Merchant
SPORTS 15
Former MT stars on the fast track to the show: Brentz and company take minor league by storm By Mark Mize
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MTSU Students and Murfreesboro businesses gather at the “Meet Murfreesboro” tents on August 29, 2012. “Meet Murfreesboro” is an event held to familiarize freshman and transfer students new to “the ‘boro” with life in the centermost part of Tennessee. Games, coupons and freebies were under the tent for students to get out of the heat while they perused. Photo by Matt Masters.
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Emily West Community news editor commnews@ mtsusidelines.com Emily Kubis Features editor features@mtsusidelines. com Jane Horne Arts & Entertainment editor ae@mtsusidelines.com Mark Mize Sports editor sports@mtsusidelines.com Alex Harris Opinions editor opinions@mtsusidelines. com
Kelsey Klingenmeyer Design manager design@mtsusidelines.com Nhu Duong Photo editor photo@mtsusidelines.com Matt Masters Associate photo editor asstphoto@mtsusidelines. com Justin Threlkeld Ad manager advertising@mtsusidelines.com Leon Alligood Advisor leon.alligood@mtsu.edu
NEWS
MTSU community assists with construction of 9/11 memorial By: Michael Wilson Contributing Writer A Sept. 11 memorial is slated to open during the 10th annual community fair Tuesday at the Sheriff’s Department. MTSU students and alumni took the opportunity to help with the project throughout the past year. “The concrete was donated. We donated the forms, two days labor, a couple of my guys and things like that,” said Josh Cornwall of Dusty & Sons, and a former graduate of Concrete Management at MTSU. Cornwall added that his team did all the forming and placing of the concrete for the memorial. Students of the Concrete Industry Management program contributed to the project. “I got to help with the placing of the ‘ground zero’ debris between the columns, handling pieces of broken glass, coffee cups, a busted VHS tape, twisted rebar, concrete block chunks, broken picture frames and a damaged clock set to 8:46 [when the first plane hit the north tower], as well as smashing concrete blocks into coarse, fine and dust size pieces to add to the debris,” said Chad Rutledge, a senior majoring in concrete industry management. “While working, I thought about all of those people in the building who didn’t make it out, and
The 9/11 Memorial is located at the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department. Photo by Drew Gardonia
their friends and family who would never see them again.” The focus of the memorial is the 3,000-pound I-beam, recovered from the ruins of Tower One. In addition to the beam, four flagpoles will also be placed, each to honor the passengers in the four planes from Sept. 11. Three poles will hold the American flag, the Tennessee state flag and a 9/11 memorial flag. The fourth pole will hold a rotation of flags representing the four branches of the U.S. military. “The Fire Department will have the honor of raising the flags,” Deputy Greg Dotson said. “They lost more people than any other department.” An honor guard consisting of officers from the Rutherford County Fire Department, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department and officers from the LaVergne, Smyrna and Murfreesboro Police
Departments will perform a three volley rifle salute the day of the unveiling. Every aspect of the memorial has its own specific significance. The shortest column of the memorial represents the Emergency Medical System, the second column represents the New York Police Department and law-enforcement officers, while the tallest column represents the New York Fire Department personnel who entered the towers while trying to evacuate. Fundraising for the project is ongoing, with commemorative coins and inscribed bricks still available for purchase to help with upkeep expenses. Bricks can be purchased the day of the fair. “No tax dollars went into the monument’s construction,” Dotson said. “I’m proud to say that almost everything was done through donations of money, time and resources.”
Guild produces juicy surprise By: Ashleigh Taylor Contributing Writer After a year of writing and a summer of filming, the students of MTSU Film Guild aim to release their first feature film to audiences next summer. “Juicy Mooshu” is an action-comedy film about two sanitation workers who discover an ancient Chinese chest during one of their cleaning assignments. In the midst of their assignment, a prostitute approaches and attacks the men, and they soon find themselves running from the Chinese mob. The feature film is based on events familiar to senior film students Chris Ranker, Ross Wells and recent graduate Warren Smythe, the film’s director. “It’s inspired by things that we know, that we’re familiar with, family members we’re familiar with and things that have happened to us before,” Smythe said. “That’s how a film is successful. It’s relatable.” Ranker took lead as the producer for “Juicy Mooshu,” having experience producing multiple series on MT10HD. Wells took the role of writing the screenplay after two years of screenwriting. Once the crew reached a main idea for their film, Wells began to write. “I came out to school here originally for music. I was just trying new things and getting as much out of college
The Mafia Boss threatens Weston in a torture bus to reveal the chest’s location. Photo by Nhu Duong
as I could, because what I originally came out to college for is nowhere near what I’m doing now,” Wells said. “I had a class with Chris Ranker, and he enjoyed me, so I guess he wanted to get me involved. This is my debut.” Beginning July 15, the crew filmed for a month, planning to have images cut together by December 1 and begin cutting the audio in after. Although “Juicy Mooshu” is now in post-production phase, the film faced complications with funding as all of the guild’s previous films were done in a shorter amount of time. The crew spent approximately $25,000 on the film, $5,000 under their initial goal. They used fundraising website Kickstarter to help with funding and conserved money when it came to feeding the crew. “A lot of people were very doubtful of my creative decisions because sometimes it was abnormal, like the things that I did. A lot of times I was even questioning myself or second
guessing myself, but I think the only way to make art, to be innovative, is to try something different, try something that feels right,” Smythe said. “That’s what we tried to do with this film- try things that are unconventional, but still keep it classy with conventional film techniques.” Once the film is complete, the crew plans to submit it to appropriate festivals, in addition to renting theaters locally, in Nashville and Hendersonville to promote their work. The MTSU Film Guild is an organization for students with career desires in filmmaking or video production. “I’ve always said that if you want to be a filmmaker, you should just make films. That sounds really simple, but people don’t do that,” said Evan Caddell, cinematographer and a junior majoring in electronic media communication. “They say, ‘Oh, I want to be a filmmaker,’ and they don’t do anything or they wait around. You have to devote yourself completely to film.”
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COVER STORY Politics heat up as state fair opens gates: Legislation sparks confusion, backlash
By Alex Hubbard Campus News editor
The Tennessee State Fair will kick off this week as questions surround legislation that handed control of the fair to the state for the first time in nearly 90 years. The fair will be held Sept. 7-16 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville and will feature several new events- including live music, a greencollar exhibit focusing on sustainable farming, an equestrian arena and an agricultural museum, said Katie Radel, the marketing specialist for the Tennessee State Fair Association, a notfor-profit group that is operating the fair. “The quality of the fair is better than ever,” Radel said. While the festivities ramp up, uncertainty about the future of the historic event is also on the rise. The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation authorizing a state commission to oversee the state fair. It marks the first time the state of Tennessee could run the fair since 1923, according to a history published by the Friends of Metro Archives, a chapter of the Friends of the Public Library of Nashville and Davidson County. What that means for the fair as it exists is
unclear to many outside observers- although legislators have said the fair should stay in Nashville. “I don’t know a whole lot about it because everyone is trying to figure out exactly what that legislation does,” said Buck Dozier, the executive director of the fairgrounds. “There is legislation that seems to say they appointed a board of people from across the state that tries to keep the Tennessee State Fair alive. They say they want to keep the fair in Nashville, but we’ll have to see if that’s true.” The state commission effectively removed all authority from the Metropolitan Board of Fair Commissioners, which oversaw the fair for decades and most recently contracted the fair to private groups. The metropolitan board now oversees just the flea market, races and other events held at the fairgrounds, Dozier said. But some have questions about who supported the legislation and for what reason. Sen. Joe Haynes, a Democrat from Nashville, sponsored the bill to create the state commission. Haynes also sits on the board of the Tennessee State Fair Association, which is in its second year of operating the event. Under the terms of
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The fair has rides for kids and thrill-seekers alike. You can purchase advance unlimited ride wristbands for $20 at tnstatefair.org. Photo courtesy of Katie Radel.
the legislation, the new state commission would have the power to name an organization to operate the fair. Duane Dominy, a metro councilman who emerged as one of the earliest voices for preserving the fairgrounds, said he supports state involvement in promoting the state fair, but also said the legislation and the commission it created raised some curious questions. “The current makeup of this nine-member commission includes four current TSFA board members,” Dominy said. “This is not to suggest collusion, conflict-of-interest or conspiracy. It is simply stating fact.” The legislation
requires that the state agriculture and tourism commissioners, the president of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, and the dean of the University of Tennessee Extension all must sit on the state commission. All four people currently are on both the commission and the Tennessee State Fair Association’s board of directors. Dominy also raised questions about a provision granting the state the rights to the names “Tennessee State Fair” and “Tennessee State Exposition.” “The minor catch is that the term and its associated logo are copyrighted and trademarked property of the Metropolitan Board
of Fair Commissioners,” Dominy said. “The copyright was granted by the Tennessee Department of State, Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “This taking of intellectual property was done without consultation or compensation of the owner. I cannot speak to the reasons why these individuals and corporations are behind making these changes. That may only be determined by their own statements and actions.” Haynes, who is retiring after his term expires in January, did not respond to an email or phone call seeking comment. The latest round of controversy is not the first for the fair or fair-
grounds. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean announced plans to close the fairgrounds and end the state fair itself in late 2009. Dean’s plan was to sell the land for a private development, but the idea fell through when the metro council opposed the action. Nashville voters stamped the denial last year with a vote to keep the fairgrounds in operation. Dominy said the push to keep the grounds in operation came from large numbers of people who signed petitions, volunteered and campaigned on behalf of what was considered to be an economic and historic marker. “The overwhelming response was to keep
the property and its various events open,” Dominy said. “Some claimed sentimental and others financial reasons.” Despite the vote to save the fairgrounds, ticket sales for the 2011 state fair were estimated down 10 to 20 percent, according to numbers reported by the Nashville City Paper. In March, Dozier asked metro government for a $245,000 subsidy for the fairgrounds. “Our reserves have been dwindling for years, so our estimate is our reserves will come to an end next year,” the City Paper reported Dozier telling a metro budget hearing. “The only way to keep it open is to do like other departments do– the
Municipal Auditorium, the Farmers’ Market– and ask for something that we work hard to draw down to where hopefully we don’t have to have one. But right now, we do.” Dozier’s request was not included in the final budget. Dominy blames the financial struggles of the fairgrounds on political connections and mismanagement. He said as many as 250 events have been lost to the facility due to uncertainty surrounding the property. Dominy also faulted the contract that was awarded to the Tennessee State Fair Association in 2011. “For example, $400,000 was given up when the Metro
COVER STORY
Fair Board, under the previous chair, voided an agreement for a $250,000 contract for two years for the operation and promotion of the state fair in order to award the contract to the politically-connected Tennessee State Fair Association for a sum of $50,000 per year,” Dominy said. “This, coincidentally or not, is about the same amount the fairgrounds operation is short this year.” Radel, the fair’s marketing specialist, acknowledged budget difficulties, but said the fair would not be held back because of them. “Due to the footprint of the fair and some budget cuts, we have stretched our budget,” Radel said, “but have managed to keep our
fair focused on agriculture, livestock and education while providing the traditional fair experiences.” The state fair may now be in the hands of the state of Tennessee, but the fairgrounds are still under the control of the Metropolitan government. The decision on the precise future of the grounds will come next year after a master plan is developed and sent to the metro council and Mayor Dean, Dozier said. Until then, it is a waiting game. “It’s kind of in flux right now,” Dozier said. “It’s going to be probably eight or 10 months before we kind of know exactly what’s going to happen.”
Next Wednesday, kids under 18 gets in free with a parent or guardian for youth night.Photo courtesy of Katie Radel.
Wear your Blue Raider attire Friday to receive an additional $3 off of ticket prices. ‘Like’ the Tennessee State Fair Facebook page and sign up to win free tickets. Purchase tickets in advance at participating local Kroger stores to receive up to $8 in savings. www.tnstatefair.org
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FEATURES
The Center for Popular Music: ‘A Gem in MTSU’s Crown’ By Emily Kubis Features editor Music lovers across campus and beyond would likely be delighted to spend a measly half hour picking through Dale Cockrell’s office collection of antique songbooks and sheet music. Given the opportunity to tour the greater expanse of material his center houses, such a person may experience a (rather pleasant) panic attack. Cockrell is the director of MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, which is known almost exclusively to mass communication students who pass by its glass walls regularly as they go about their business. It is also used in history and music courses, which occasionally hold classes in the center. The Center for Popular Music is the largest, oldest research center and archive of its sort in the world. “It’s an enormous gem in MTSU’s crown,” Cockrell said. While other university centers may host larger jazz collections or blues archives, Cockrell says there’s no center that tries to cover the whole range of pop music from the 18th century to the present—and all the various dimensions—like this center does. And the dimensions are indeed various. In the warehouse-like storage facility exists
The Center for Popular Music houses wall-to-wall vinyl in the genre of everything from pop to rock n’ roll to classical music. The Tennessee Historical Records Advisory Board issued a $6700 grant for the center to curate Tennessee-related songs last summer. John Fabke, project archivist, will head the project. Photo by Nhu Duong
200,000 LPs arranged by label and issue number and a sprawl of other recordings—45s, 75s, CDs and cassettes. “We trace the music business by the media that is used to represent the music of the time,” Cockrell said. Some of the center’s oldest materials are not recordings at all—though the center certainly houses some Edisonian phonographic cylinders—but sheet music, broadsides and songsters. “Handwritten music manuscripts date from 1775 up to 1960 or so,
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and that’s an example of one person taking the time and trouble to write, by hand, the music that mattered to them. So that’s one form of a medium that’s sort of direct and up close,” Cockrell said. Cockrell added that broadsides are similar to today’s 99-cent download; for a penny, someone could purchase the text to a popular song. Middle-class people may have purchased expensive sheet music to speak of status, but common citizens consumed their music through broadsides.
The Center for Popular Music is home to the largest collection of American broadsides in the world. The collection is digitized, and can be accessed through the center’s website. The Center for Popular Music exists as a unique mirror of American culture. The center’s website cites the multicultural and international origins of American society, as influencing the materials that have been collected there. “Everybody knows that the nation is a salad bowl of ethnicities,
and music is always representative of that,” Cockrell said. “So we have a good collection of Scottish songs, Irish songs—we have a major collection of African-American music, and…anyone who is interested in following that strain through how it becomes part of what’s American music can, in fact, do that.” The center has much to discover about American society, but it also shines a light on individuals—who they were, what they did and what music they loved. “I often say that we
have 350,000 stories here,” Cockrell added. “A song is a story, and if someone is interested in finding the stories that mattered to people at the time—just as today, you look on their iPod to find what their values are, what their consciousness is. And you look at the music to find out what the society was believing, and the stories they were telling about themselves.” The center organizes much of its material into collections—the rock-and-roll collection, the gospel collection and most recently, the
FEATURES
Dale Cockrell uses his musical expertise to enhance the center’s collection and aid researchers that visit. Photo by Nhu Duong
center received a grant to collect songs about Tennessee. The Tennessee Historical Records Advisory Board issued a grant to the center to curate the Tennessee songs collection, called “My Homeland: A Research Guide to Songs About Tennessee.” Certainly citizens of the Volunteer State can rattle off a handful of songs meriting placement in the collection, and Cockrell hypothesizes that there is a reason so many tunes exist about Tennessee. “I have this weird kind of theory that one
of the reasons there are lots of songs about Tennessee is that it’s a pretty word. It’s got a nice rhythm to it—it’s got a melody. Songwriters are sensitive to that,” he said. “When Stephen Foster was writing ‘Way Down on the Sewanee River, it was first of all ‘Way Down on the Pee Dee River,’ which is in South Carolina, and that just didn’t sound right. He had never been to the Sewanee River,’ hardly knew where it was, so a song that has become part of culture was changed simply because it sounded good,”
Cockrell said. That collection will be digitized, and Cockrell said when copyrights permit, it will include audio and interview clips and other digital content that supports and enlivens the site. The Center for Popular Music is not available for general appreciation, as usage is limited to research. Individuals writing music, recording industry or history papers and essays would certainly be granted access to the center’s great expanse of musical history. Sidelines | Sept. 5, 2012 | www.mtsusidelines.com 7
RANTS AND RAVES
September 5-7
The Hunger Games 9 p.m., Union Video Theater Student Union Building, Room 208 MTSU Campus Admission: FREE
September 6 Framing Hanley 8 p.m., Main Street Live! 527 West Main Street Admission: $10 Ages 18+
September 6 Live on the Green Concert Series: Jon Cleary, Moon Taxi and Dr. John & the Lower 911 featuring Jon Cleary 5 p.m., Public Square Park 1 Public Square, Nashville Admission: FREE
September 7 Get Down Friday featuring DJ Rick Ross 12-2 p.m., Student Union Food Court MTSU’s Student Union building Admission: FREE
September 7 Japanese Cowboys, Flint Forehead, and The Langoliers 9 p.m., Wall Street 121 North Maple St. Admission: $5 Ages 21+ 8 Sidelines | Sept. 5, 2012 | www.mtsusidelines.com
Almost everyone and their mother has seen this movie at least once. Enjoy it once more at the fabulous new Student Union Building. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth star in this film that takes place in a futuristicdystopian America where
young representatives from 12 districts — one boy and one girl — are forced to battle each other to the death until one district stands alone. Go enjoy this free movie and popcorn with friends. To all of the college couples on campus, this screams “cheap date night.” While
the action and emotion in this movie captivate you, you might also think to yourself one of the following questions: “Why is Liam Hemsworth with Miley Cyrus?” “Why am I crying right now?” or “Is that the creepy little girl from ‘Orphan’ fighting Katniss?”
Nashville-based band Framing Hanley is coming to melt your face off. OK, maybe not literally. The band is categorized in the genre of alternative/rock. Some of you may be wondering, “Where have I heard of them before?” This band received much of atten-
tion when they recorded their own version of Lil’ Wayne’s “Lollipop.” This version allowed rockers to listen to the catchyhype song without being labeled posers. Check out the video on YouTube if you haven’t seen it, or add to the over 350,000 number of “likes” on
their Facebook. Coincidentally, lead singer Kenneth Nixon will be celebrating his birthday the same night. This could make the night a really good one, or a really bad one. Don your favorite skinny jeans and straighten your hair for this one.
It’s that special time of year, boys and girls. Live on the Green, courtesy of everyone’s favorite Nashville indie station, Lightning 100, is back with an awesome lineup that is sure to satisfy your live music craving. Festivities begin at 5 p.m., but everyone is wel-
come to show up as early as they would like. This Thursday, enjoy performances by Jon Cleary, Moon Taxi and Dr. John & the Lower 911. Bring friends and family and sit on some blankets or portable chairs while you enjoy live music at the park. This event will oc-
cur every Thursday night till October 11, featuring different acts each week for your entertainment. If you haven’t experienced Live on the Green before, then you should definitely go check it out and support local artists in Music City.
If you have a break from class anytime between 12-2 p.m. on Friday, or if you live on campus and are tired of awkwardly staring at your questionable roommate, then go check out what Student Programming has in store for you. DJ Rick Ross will be spinning on the
ones and twos at the Student Union food court. This disk jockey will make you bust a move to all kinds of music: hiphop, dance, old school, classic rock and more. So go grab a bite from one of the new vendors on campus, which we are all excited about, then
dance off those extra calories. Don’t forget to take a break at one of the lounge areas and print off your notes in a new computer lab before you dash off to class. Real college students schedule in partying among their studying.
These three Middle Tennessee rock bands are putting on a great show for you Friday night at Wall Street. Each band has unique style of rock music that sets them apart from the rest. The Langoliers, Flint Forehead and Japanese Cowboys are guaranteed to keep you
moving all night long. Some of the band members are current MTSU students and alumni. This is not the first rodeo for any of these bands, so if you have not seen them already or if you need a Friday night, live music fix, then grab a few buddies and have a fun night
out in Murfreesboro. Not to mention, the show is 21+, so there will not be any of those annoying freshman from your biology lab that insist on following you around. Regardless, go support local music, people.
RANTS AND RAVES
September 7
G.E.D. Soul All-stars’ Tribute to James Brown with Ruby Velle and The Soulphonics 8 p.m., The High Watt stage at Mercy Lounge One Cannery Road, Nashville Admission: $10 Ages 18+
September 8 BLACKOUT featuring Wick-it the Instigator 9 p.m., Main Street Live! 527 West Main Street Admission: $10 Ages 18+
September 8 5th Annual Tennessee Walk Now For Autism Speaks Registration: 8:30 a.m., Walk: 10 a.m. Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park 600 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville Admission: Donations accepted
September 8 fEASTival Nashville 12-11 p.m., East Park South 7th St. and Woodland St., Nashville Admission: FREE
September 9 Karaoke Night 10 p.m.-12 a.m., Student Union Food Court Student Union Building Admission: FREE
Nashville’s own G.E.D. Soul Records presents this dynamite tribute to the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Brown was one of, if not the, biggest artists in soul and funk history — hence the title “Godfather.” Some of Brown’s biggest hits
were “Super Bad,” “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.” The music will be performed by G.E.D. Soul All-Stars with a little help from special guests, Atlanta’s soul band Ruby Velle and The Soulphonics, who released their full-length album this
year, It’s About Time. Go enjoy an evening of great hits from the No. 1 Godfather of Soul and more. This sultry soul will make you leave Nashville singing, “I feel good,” at the top off your lungs and probably off-key.
Get your glowsticks out and put on your dancing shoes, ravers. Nashville native Wick-It the Instigator is coming back to Murfreesboro on Saturday night and performing at Main Street Live! This disc jockey/producer has the skills to make you jump and dance all night.
You may know Wick-It the Instigator from his famed mash-up of The Black Keys’ “Everlasting Light” and Big Boi’s “Shine Blockas” (feat. Gucci Mane). The Instigator will be accompanied by six other DJs spinning different genres of dance music– includ-
ing dubstep, electronica, hip-hop and more. If you go to this gigantic dance party, be prepared to not only sweat like never before among a sea of strangers, but also leave the event asking yourself, “What just happened?”
Autism Speaks is back with its signature fundraising event, bringing hundreds of thousands of participants annually across the country for a common goal — to raise awareness about the prevalence of autism and to donate and raise money for research. The
event includes a one-mile (optional) walk and a community resources fair that includes local education sources, therapists, schools, recreational organizations and creative activities dedicated to families affected by autism. This event has grown more and more
each year thanks to the generous community support and volunteers. If you or anyone you know is affected by this complex disease, this would be a great opportunity to learn, donate and create more awareness.
fEASTival Nashville is an event that showcases the expanding talents — music, art, fashion and food — that make up East Nashville. This event happens once a year and unites entertainment, restaurants, art and fun activities for everyone to enjoy. East
Nashville is a growing community of music, arts and individuals who support it. Enjoy the neverending visual entertainment as you venture your way around the “villages” that focus on a specific talent. General admission is free. And yes, there will be free food
samples. This would be a great event for you and a group of friends to add to your weekend plans. Go to fEASTival Nashville’s website to learn more about the music line-up, food venues, artists, local designers and vendors that will be at this event that has so much to offer.
Live on campus? Don’t have a test Monday morning? Need to make some new friends? Want to get away from the roommate? How about have some laughs and cheer on those new friends as they either showcase their angelic, pitch-perfect voice or
lack thereof? Look no further. Student Programming is hosting Karaoke Night on Sunday for your entertainment. However, be extremely cautious if you are taking a sip of your drink during performances; you don’t want to spray your new friends or crush while someone
is dared to sing “Thong Song.” Bring along your iPhones and blow up YouTube with the most hilarious moments of the night. Opportunites like this are too good to miss out on. Sharing is caring, everybody.
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Copper Into Steel is pure gold The night before they By Jane Horne Arts & Entertainment were signed up to play their first show at The Editor Hangar, previously run Four MTSU recordby Conrad, the band deing industry seniors cided that being a threebring their individual piece wasn’t enough. knowledge, musical Enter Eric Lesser, the tastes and a whole lot drummer Chelius used of ambition to create to jam with in his dorm bluegrass-rock band room freshmen year. Copper Into Steel. The set went so well In just over a year, that night they played frontman and guitar a four and a half hour player Daniel Harry, long set the following mandolin player Cody night. Chelius, bassist Chris “It was our second Conrad and drummer show, we barely knew Eric Lesser have figured any material,” Chelius out that they have the said. “But we figured passion and musical out all these covers we know-how to make could play and put on a quality music. As a reparty show that night.” sult, they have begun to For Harry, the musical make their mark in the chemistry was undeniindustry. able. Like many local “That’s when I think bands, Copper Into we knew we had someSteel was created by thing,” Harry said. a couple of guys who After going home for love making music. the summer, Copper Harry and Conrad met Into Steel came back in a MTSU art class, full of excitement and where Conrad learned ideas and played a show that Harry was a singer/ together just two days songwriter. after returning to Mur“I was just like, oh, freesboro. As the writthere’s a lot of singer/ ing process began, they songwriters; acousfound that each member tic guitar players are had something to bring just people who write to the table musically. songs commercially in Conrad brings the Middle Tennessee. So, jazz, fusion and rock of course, I’m going to influences; Chelius think that everyone’s brings bluegrass and just a run-of-the-mill, added jazz knowledge; but when I saw him while Harry and Lesser play I was sadly mistak- keep things mainstream. en,” Conrad said. “No These different genres, mill was to be found.” tastes and talented set Conrad knew Chelius of ears come together after the two played in a to create a fun, upbeat jazz band together. form of bluegrass that Naturally, they knew makes you get up from something good would your seat and groove come out of Chelius’s along. mandolin-playing skills Copper Into Steel’s and knowledge of jazz Facebook page boasts and bluegrass.
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six recorded songs, one of their more popular songs being, “Door #1.” The sound of upbeat mandolin solos and sweet lines like, “door number one, door number two, why can’t one just lead to you?” attract their faithful fans who have deemed themselves “Copperheads.” Having a drummer also sets Copper Into Steel apart from most other bluegrass bands. At some of the bluegrass festivals they played this past summer, the full drum set was something that had to be approved by the festivals. Fortunately for Lesser, his presence was welcomed and appreciated. While some bluegrass artists have maybe a snare and kick, the full set allows Copper to create a more of a “let-loose bluegrass,” as Harry describes it. These band members don’t just rely on their unique sound. All four members come from different sections of the recording industry department. As each member brings different influences to the writing process, they each have a role in the business side of running the band. Chelius and Lesser are audio production majors, while Harry and Conrad are in music business and Conrad takes over a lot of the booking. They have taken advantage of bringing what they have learned in classes to the real world. This led them to
Frontman and guitar player Daniel Harry and bassist Chris Conrad play a live show at The Honest Pint in Chattanooga. Photo by Jaron Guy
determine a business strategy. They found a manager, Seth Meganck, whose father designed Copper’s mockingbird logo, which can be found on the hundreds of posters around campus before every local show. After playing multiple times in the Middle Tennessee area, Copper started touring, including an East Coast tour this past summer. Offering gig swaps, aiming to play with the most popular bands of their genre and sending out email after email, they played in Atlanta, Charlotte, Richmond and Reading, Pa. (Chelius’s hometown), just to name a few. The biggest reward
from traveling up and down the east coast? Being categorized as a Nashville band. “To travel around and have people say that we have a Nashville sound, or how one guy commented on how he was refreshed at the Nashville presence,” Harry said. “It’s cool to hear that because I know how I look at Nashville and its sound, and to travel around and have someone put us with that is a big deal.” It is that desire to keep the fans happy that has contributed to the rising success of Copper Into Steel. They do their best to play in Murfreesboro at least once a month, and to make the most of their shows 18 and up.
On top of recording their first album in October, Copper is playing their next show for MT fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho on Friday. The next day, they will be at 12th and Porter in Nashville playing the Bluegrass Ball, featuring a lineup full of Copper’s influences like The Travelin’ McCourys, EmmittNershi Band and the Michael Kang Band. They will also be at Wall Street on September 15. Just keep an eye out on campus and around Murfreesboro. If you see the bird, then come a-flocking. “Oh, we’re going places,” laughed Lesser.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
‘Hit and Run’ crashes and burns By Josh Young Contributing Writer The tagline on the promotional poster for “Hit and Run” declares the film to be the “comedy that never takes its foot off the gas.” While this may be true, it feels as though writer-director-actor Dax Shepard (“Without a Paddle,” “Parenthood”) would have been better served by actually allowing the film to slow down a bit, and plot itself a clearer course in one genre. Over the course of 100 minutes, a 400-mile chase across Southern California involving a group of revenge-seeking bank robbers, an obsessive ex-boyfriend and a few bumbling law enforcement agents, the movie never finds its true identity. Shepard and company appear to make some sort of attempt at an “actioncomedy-romance.” This leaves viewers feeling like they should have focused on one genre, versus a mediocre-atbest combination of the three. However, it admittedly boasts some engaging chase scenes– made all the more impressive by Shepard doing his own stunt driving– and moderately-funny character interactions. In the driver’s seat of the film is Shepard, who plays an ex-getaway car driver for a crew of bank robbers. After being placed in the small town of Milton, Calif., by the Witness Protection Program and taking the name Charlie Bronson, he falls for a sociology professor
Country music’s princess prepares for pop world reign
Real-life couple Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell prove to have on the screen and off. Photo courtesy of Facebook
named Annie, played by Kristen Bell (“When In Rome,” “Veronica Mars”), who teaches at a local community college. Annie receives the chance to interview for her dream job heading up a department at UCLA, but turns it down knowing that Charlie can’t safely return to Los Angeles. Charlie decides that he won’t let Annie give up on her dream, and at the last minute picks her up in his souped-up Lincoln Continental to get her to the interview in time. Along the way, of course, the two face off against a crew of antagonists, most of who fail to add much of a laugh factor. Real-life couple Bell and Shepard actually play their roles together fairly well, and from the film’s first scene they clearly have nice cinematic chemistry. However, after the introduction of Charlie’s assigned federal marshal, played by the almost un-watchable Tom Arnold, (“True Lies,” “Happy Endings,”) as a sort-of sidekick to Charlie, the film becomes steadily plagued by a slew of
confusing characters in increasingly perplexing roles. Bradley Cooper’s (“The Hangover,” “All About Steve”) role in the film is perhaps the most baffling. Despite flexing legitimate comedic muscle on both of the “Hangover” films, Cooper features here in a completely unnatural role as some sort of dreadlockedgangster/hippy, and former partner-in-crime to Charlie. Whether it was the writing or his performance, the role just seems awkward for Cooper, and it makes it difficult for the viewer to enjoy his one-liners interspersed liberally throughout the script. Even after the end credits begin to roll, “Hit and Run” mercilessly refuses to “take its foot off the gas,” forcing the viewer to sit through a bewilderingly anticlimactic final scene in which Annie is haphazardly interviewed for the job by a pot-smoking member of UCLA’s faculty. It serves as an appropriately awkward and un-funny ending to a film that never seems to find the right cruising speed.
Taylor Swift shows off her new style, in her tunes and her fashion sense, with the new single. Photo courtesy of Facebook
By Jane Horne Arts & Entertainment editor For the past two weeks, Taylor Swift’s new single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” has stayed at number one on the charts. The lyrics are in typical Taylor-fashion, singing an upbeat chorus about how she’s never getting back with a jerk who keeps telling her he still loves her. Yet, there’s no denying that this new single sounds less and less like a country song, which makes it surprising that this pop sound with its simple lyrics is arguably her biggest hit. Even the music video is a quirkier project from what she’s done before. From the time Taylor
Swift hit the scene, she’s been described as “country crossover.” Her upcoming album, Red, which is being released October 22, has fans questioning if her evolution will be genrebending. Can T-Swift fans expect more of the new pop-based sound, or will she remain country-centered? Apparently, they can expect the country songstress to make a full transition into pop princess. According to cmt.com, Taylor’s new album is made up of songs she co-wrote with writers like Ed Sheeran, Max Martin who worked on Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl,” and Dan Wilson from Adele’s “Someone Like You”– compared to her last album, Speak Now,
which she wrote by herself. And although these co-writers have helped with different sounds, the lyrics on Red will remain completely Taylor. There has been a mixed review of Taylor’s new sound on “Never Ever” from the social media world. Some like that it sounds less country and are now paying more attention to the star, while others feel she is straying too far from her roots. The thing to consider is that Swift is first and foremost a songwriter. She has come to the point in her career where she has likely reached as much success possible. If there was ever a time when an artist can afford to experiment and explore, it’s now for Swift. The sound from her first three albums have given her unthinkable fame and fortune, so logically, she is not experimenting with her sound to make more money. If any risk is being taken, it is the one that her current fans will be unhappy. I believe that Swift is still in the early stages in her career as a musician and is enjoying taking chances. She may be taking a slight detour and trying her hand at other genres, but ultimately, Swift will come back to her country music roots and the sound that started her career. Until then, I’ll wait for Red with excitement and slight nerves.
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Main St. Live!: A new venue with a familiar location By Jay Powell Staff Writer The location of 527 Main St. has held a number of different titles over the years, but one thing has always remained the same— live music for students. Main St. Live! opened its doors last Wednesday after weeks of renovation and a muchneeded overhaul in new equipment and staging. For over four decades, the venue has seen big-name acts including Blue Oyster Cult, Green Day and Dolly Parton. Other highprofile acts coming soon are Seven Mary Three, DJ Kidsmeal and David Allan Coe. “This is where the rock bands from Nashville would come to have a good time,” said manager Rob Hinnenthal. “Because when you play in Nashville you have a bunch of guys with their arms crossed that are critiquing more than anything. You come to Murfreesboro and it’s a party, you know, we’re here to have a good time and that’s the vibe we’re really trying to push.” The venue doesn’t only host live bands. On any given night you could see a local rock band, and the next you could find anything from dubstep to funk to electronica. Every Wednesday is “college night,” which includes free admission and beer
Health and flavor cohabitate at new Pita Pit on Rutherford
Main St. Live! is an old venue with a new name and new ideas. Photo by Jay Powell
with a student ID until 11 p.m. One aspect that made the venue such a staple is its efforts to offer shows at a more affordable price. The owner, Josh Qualls, who is also the main promoter, makes this possible. “Usually you have a promoter who is trying to pay his whole team and an owner that’s trying to pay his whole team, so we have a kind of advantage where he only has to pay one team so we can kind of come down on price and get some really quality stuff in here for reasonable prices,” Hinnenthal said. Several upgrades set Main St. Live! apart from the older versions of itself. Renovation and remodeling has been done to the stages, the lighting and the bars. The lower main stage also has a new sound system installed that has seen its share of music history. With a new PA system that was once on tour with groups like KISS, Aerosmith and was in the film “This Is Spinal Tap,” the venue
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is sure to bring a new level of loud. “You’ll be in the back of the room and think someone is punching you in the chest,” Hinnenthal said. “This PA blows the PA that was there back then out of the water.” The old PA system has since been transported to the room located upstairs where bands can play on a newly-built stage. “Before the stage it was a step. And now you have a legit, loadout stage. You could have a band that would be happy playing down there be as happy playing up here,” he said. Other additions to the venue include a beer bar downstairs, newlypainted walls and LED lights for the main bar to add to the club’s dance atmosphere. “We’re putting a lot of emphasis on booking really great acts and not focusing just on one genre,” Hinnenthal said. “Really trying to be that event venue where people want to go and see what’s happening at Main St.”
Pita Pit recently opened a Murfreesboro location on Rutherford Blvd. across from Wal-Mart and will make deliveries. Photo courtesy of Facebook
By Jay Powell Staff Writer When it comes to ordering a good sandwich, we shouldn’t have to sacrifice taste in order to eat healthy. Newly opened on Rutherford Blvd. across the street from WalMart, Pita Pit is a quick and affordable spot for students to grab a bite that doesn’t inflict too much damage on your wallet and your waistline. Like the name suggests, it specializes in pita pocket sandwiches, but this restaurant offers its customers more than the average Greek café. With many sandwiches priced under $7 and with fewer than 400 calories, the restaurant’s aim is to promote good food that is also good for you. The menu has the calorie count posted next to each option. “We’re good, we’re fresh,” said manager
Donovan Bettise. “We try to cater to the health conscious, as well as people who just want to be fed.” Pita Pit has a sandwich for any number of tastes. For meat eaters there is the Dogwood, which consists of turkey, ham and prime rib. Other top sellers are the Chicken Souvlaki (Greek-seasoned chicken) and The Raider (Philly steak, chicken, bacon and melted provolone), which is also the “local” special. For non-meat eaters, there are a number of veggie pitas to choose from. Options include falafel, hummus, spicy black bean, cheese or just plain veggies. Breakfast is served all day as well. When you place an order, you go through a process similar to Subway. There are a variety of toppings and sauces
to choose from, and the staff is more than happy to suggest traditional combos for each sandwich. A recommended option is to have the veggies grilled along with the meat. If you’re like most students, the day will come when you find yourself overwhelmed with work and no way of getting out. Pita Pit stays open late and also delivers. Its hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. “You can have food delivered within 15-20 minutes. We’re open all night,” Bettise said. If you are in the mood for something good, healthy or something new, Pita Pit is a tasty and affordable choice for students not far from campus.
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OPINIONS
Intellectual property laws stifle Theft of intellectual property to steal IP, which can innovation, restrict choices hurts all consumers only make things worse By Christopher for both lawful and By Alex Harris Opinions Editor
Alex Harris
The recent court decision favoring Apple in their lawsuit against Samsung indicates a growing problem with intellectual property laws. The infringements claimed against Samsung by Apple for things such as rounded icon corners and tap-to-zoom seem a little obvious and universal to touch screen and smartphone technology, and frivolous to claim as unique to your brand. But that’s the state of IP these days. Although I am a believer in private property rights, I do not believe IP is private property, because ideas cannot truly be owned. Even if you do believe that IP protection is a necessary part of innovation and artistic expression, surely you can agree that we’re at a point of ridiculousness when IP lawsuits deal with things like ‘tap-tozoom.’ Judge Richard Posner, a Reagan-appointee to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, has made it known that he believes the prolifera-
tion of IP is a growing problem and earlier this year threw out an IP lawsuit Apple brought against Motorola, due to the economic harm claims being too speculative. Additionally, John Tehranian, a Southwestern Law School professor, published a paper dealing with IP in 2007 titled “Infringement Nation.” In it, he points out that, through everyday actions on the internet, an individual not engaging in file sharing can incur as much as $4.5 billion a year in potential copyright infringement liability. One argument for IP protection is that it protects the producer from having their ideas stolen, as well as protecting the consumer from being fooled into purchasing inferior goods. However, this is not always the case. Take counterfeit luxury goods, such as fake designer purses. If you buy a Louis Vitton bag on a sidewalk or out of someone’s car for about $50 (considering that a Google Shopping search for Louis Vitton bags indicates a price range of $500 to $3,500), chances are you know that it’s a fake. Also, the producers of designer goods aren’t losing business, as most people buying counterfeit goods wouldn’t purchase the real deal anyway. Another argument
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says IP laws promote innovation and more choice, which was the original intention of patents in the U.S. The Founders wanted an economic incentive to foster innovation and production, so they offered patents as a temporary monopoly on the use of that idea, so that individuals would be encouraged to share new ideas. But this argument seems to ignore one thing: human nature. Consider those involved in science. Do you think they are mostly swayed by economic incentive, or does the thrill of discovery drive them more? Those who want to cure cancer and other diseases, do they crave economic reward or the notoriety and knowledge they made a difference? Also, technological advancements are labor and cost saving in nature. Won’t people and industries still look for the most efficient way to produce goods with the lowest cost? Innovation and growth are best promoted by the sharing of ideas, because all ideas build upon earlier ideas. When overbearing IP laws unnaturally restrict ideas, we have less choice and growth in ideas. When ideas are shared freely, they combine with other ideas, and new ideas are born. As Sir Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Merchant Columnist
Christopher Merchant
As a writer, it’s not a pleasant thought that someone may steal the words I’ve written or the ideas I’ve expressed. Whether through theft of the publication it was presented in or plagiarism, I wouldn’t be happy about the theft. So I’m pleased theft is illegal, including that of intellectual property. Think about the field you’re studying at MTSU. Perhaps you’re studying music, writing or computer programming – fields often subject to IP theft. Or perhaps you’re studying business, psychology or biology – fields with strict controls in place to protect IP. Now ask yourself: would you steal trade secrets? Patient information? Medical patents? I wouldn’t, and I don’t think most people would either. Most don’t believe it’s right to steal. Yet media and technology IP is stolen every day throughout the world. The practice is so universal that once-stable industries have had to rethink their
entire model. Unfortunately, most of the new models seem excessive or harsh. Cinema ticket prices have gone up to combat movie piracy. Video game developers have contrived numerous validation policies to ensure players are using a valid copy of software. Music pirates have faced enormous lawsuits for stealing a couple of tunes. I’ve heard the argument that big music companies keep most of the profit, leaving musicians with a comparatively small gain. While this is true, it still baffles me that this somehow justifies piracy. This type of business model has been around in a variety of industries for a long time, and there’s a reason for it beyond sinister corporate greed – big distributors like Sony Music Entertainment or Universal Music Group assume a huge amount of risk when they put millions of dollars into an album’s production, advertisement and distribution. Many of these albums sell poorly. Therefore, to make a profit, albums are sold at a price higher than the cost of production. Meanwhile, the musicians who risked very little monetarily to see their creative endeavor come to fruition receive compensation corresponding to their investment – an investment much smaller than that of their label. Yet people continue
unlawful consumers. Already there are rumors that the video game industry’s big three hardware developers – Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo – will adopt a constant DRM recognition policy similar to that of World of Warcraft and StarCraft II– every time you want to play a game, your console will have to connect to the Internet to make sure you’re using a valid copy. If you don’t have a connection or it’s temporarily down, you don’t get to play the game. Because of the frequency of piracy, everyone could be punished. However, a silver lining is that artists are realizing the value of their product is easier to capitalize on if they give some of it away. Radiohead famously offered their 2007 album In Rainbows, digitally allowing consumers to pay whatever they wished to, including nothing. Game developers have started offering free-to-play software, with access to a majority of the game without paying, but charging for bonus content. In some cases, this has actually increased the value of the IP. However, the principle is the same regardless of distribution: theft is wrong, and it hurts all customers. I don’t want anyone to steal my work, and I don’t intend to steal yours.
SPORTS
Former MT stars on the fast track to the show: Brentz and company take minor league by storm By Mark Mize Sports Editor
Over a dozen plaques adorn the halls of Middle Tennessee’s Stephen B. Smith baseball clubhouse on the north end of campus. These accolades document the success of former Blue Raider stars on the diamond whose college success earned them an opportunity to compete in the professional ranks. However, one plaque stands apart from the rest. Etched on its surface are a laundry list of accomplishments and honors alluding to a career that stands out among some of the greatest in program history. The plaque is that of former Consensus First Team All-American Bryce Brentz, one of the most feared hitters in Sun Belt Conference history. As a sophomore, the Knoxville native set single-season school records in six categories, including: hits (107), batting average (.485), home runs (28), runs scored (79), total bases (214) and slugging percentage (.930), while helping the Blue Raiders win a record 44 games in 2009. After an injury his junior year, Brentz was drafted in the supplemental-first round by the Boston Red Sox with the 36th overall pick of the 2010 firstyear player draft. His first full season in the minor leagues saw the right-handed slugger lead Boston’s farm
system with a .306 batting average and finish second with 30 home runs en route to being named the Red Sox CoOffensive Player of the Year. This season, the former Blue Raider star continues to impress in the outfield with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. In 122 games, prior being promoted to Pawtucket of the International League, Brentz sported a batting average of .296 with 17 home runs, 76 RBIs, 62 runs scored and a slugging percentage of .478. He had arguably his best performance of the season on May 31 when he recorded a career-high five hits at the plate, including three doubles, an RBI and four runs scored. He credits a selectively-aggressive approach at the plate for his success against minor league pitching, but says facing more advanced pitching has been an adjustment. “Gaining strike zone awareness has been the key for me,” Brentz said. “Pitchers are able to locate more pitches more consistently, so, for me, I have to stick to my approach and not help the pitcher out by swinging at bad pitches.” Brentz has his mind set on one thing– success. “My goals are simple, get to the big leagues and stay in the big leagues,” he said. While Brentz is one step closer to achieving that goal, he is not the
only former Blue Raider tearing through the minors with that goal in mind. MT currently boasts 11 players in the minor league ranks, including four of Brentz’s former teammates who are playing particularly well for their respective teams. Former MT closer Coty Woods is making quick work of DoubleA hitters as the ninthinning man for the Tulsa Drillers before being promoted to Triple-A Colorado Springs. The right hander racked up 16 saves with Tulsa in 35.2 innings of play and has a miniscule ERA of 0.76 to go along with a 3-2 record and 34 strikeouts this season. Woods played only one season with the Blue Raiders but holds the single-season record for saves with 15. Kenneth Roberts has made the transition from college ace to minor league setup man with the Asheville Tourists and has used his pin-point control to quiet the opposing bats of the South Atlantic League in 2012. The Murfreesboro native has allowed only nine walks this season with a 4-1 record, an ERA of 1.88 and 55 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched. Rawley Bishop of the Erie Seawolves has batted .246 with 51 RBIs, 46 runs scored and 31 extra-base hits in 117 games, playing primarily at first base. The former Blue Raider infielder is the school’s all-time leader in total
Former Blue Raider star Bryce Brentz is among the top Red Sox minor league prospects after a all-star year for the Portland Sea Dogs. Photo courtesy of goblueraiders.com
bases with 483 and RBI with 201. Finally, outfielder Will Skinner, MT’s most recent draftee, is holding his own in his first full season of professional ball after being selected by the Atlanta Braves last June. Skinner, another native of Murfreesboro, is batting .246 with 46 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 34 extra-base hits in 101 games for the Rome Braves of the South Atlantic League. This crop of homegrown talent is part of what has made former
MT Head Coach Steve Peterson’s program a powerful contender in conference play in recent years. Over the past decade, Blue Raider baseball has been able to translate ability to send players to the next level into wins on the diamond. Peterson’s squads have averaged over 32-wins per season in that time, including four Sun Belt titles (two regular season, two tournament). Former all-conference catcher Michael McKenry is the only MT alumnus currently
in the majors, serving as the starting backstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates who are looking for their first playoff berth since 1992. If Brentz and company have it their way, though, they will be joining their former Blue Raider brethren in the pros sooner rather than later. “All those players were picked because they have tools that they can use to be successful. We all just have to make the most of our chance,” Brentz said.
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