North Texas Daily - 8/5/2016

CONCEALED CARRY NOW LEGAL ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS TEXAS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

VOL. 107 No. 3

PAGE 1

NTDAILY.COM PROSTITUTION

Anime, guns and sex in Kerr Hall

By Adalberto Toledo Senior Staff Writer @aldot29

In the early part of 2016, a pornographic blog on Tumblr of a woman named Valerie Nystrom, a former UNT student, found its way to the fingertips of many North Texas students.

CAMPUS CARRY IN EFFECT reas-sured students about the unlikelihood of a shooting at UNT by a Concealed Handgun License holder, as well as a refresher on the university’s policy and the law itself.

have one. 86 percent of those have been issued to individuals over 30 years old, and 67 percent over 40 years old. He said these groups are “already generally outside of [UNT’s] general popu-lation.”

For those concerned about guns in residence halls, Reynolds again reassures students that there are safety measures in place.

In three videos posted to the UNT News YouTube channel, UNT police chief Ed Reynolds

“[Texas] is the seventh state to adopt campus carry and from our research in this none of the other states have had any issue with this,” Reynolds said in the video titled “UNT: Chief Reynolds Address Campus Carry at University of North Texas.”

“We’re not really concerned with the actual campus carry because most individuals they go through the process of being licensed and are law abiding individuals.”

He cited 2014 demographics of CHL holders in Texas that said three percent of Texas residents

TRENDING

ATHLETICS

By Adalberto Toledo Senior Staff Writer @aldot29 So far all is quiet on the Mean Green front. Eric Fritsch, campus carry task force chairman, has heard no word about campus carry since it went into effect.

“Right now it’s quiet because there’s not a lot of students or faculty around,” Fritsch said.

“I really think that once the semester starts to ramp up we’re gonna start to hear more stuff about it, but right now I haven’t heard a peep and I’ve been at the office every day this week.”

@ntdaily @thedose_ntdaily @ntd_sports

#Olympics2016 The 2016 Olympics, taking place in Rio de Janiero, Brazil are officially underway, with the United States fielding a team of 554 athletes (262 men, 292 women).

#GeorgeZimmerman The former defendant, who was charged with murder in 2012 following the death of Trayvon Martin, made headlines again after he was punched in a Florida bar.

#NextTrumpGaffe Hashtag predicted the next political blunder by Trump emerges after historically bad week following the presidential candidate asking for a baby to be ejected from rally.

#SuicideSquad

Star-studded cast not enough to quell the almost universal panning of the film starring Jared Leto, Will Smith and Margot Robbie premiered last Friday. The story follows the several villains in the DC universe who are recruited to undertake a mission of near suicidal proportions.

EDITORIAL ON PAGE 12

“We’ve only identified singleoccupancy rooms for license to carry holders who live in a resi-dence hall,” Reynolds said in a video titles “UNT: Chief Reynolds Campus Carry at University of North Texas Residence Halls.” “Those rooms are specifically identified and they have safes in them to lock

those weapons up.”

Reynolds also wants to drive home the differences between campus carry and open carry.

In a video titled “UNT: Chief Reynolds Campus Carry vs. Open Carry at University of North Texas” he said there’s a lot of misinformation.

“We have to remember that for being on the campus you can only carry a handgun if you are licensed to carry and it must be concealed,” Reynolds said. “You cannot open carry on the University of North Texas property.”

Still, the debate rages as it has in the months prior. Online students of the 2017 class share their opinions about campus carry, many voicing some of the

A group of students listen intently during class in the General Academic Building Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor arguments that have been heard since the town hall meetings last year. International studies senior Stephanie Plancarte said it’s difficult to trust her peers with guns when she feels they do not adequately handle their school work.

“Some people are not even capable of passing their classes.

How are we suppose to trust peo-ple with guns? What if they get into a heated argument?”

Plancarte said. “This is only going to cause more school shootings. We go to school to learn not to shoot people. College students are the most mentally unstable people, imagine what

SEE CONCEALED ON PAGE 2

A hopeful Wren Baker introduced as UNT athletic director High tides at

Little Elm wake park stir competitive spirits

By Clay Massey Senior Staff Writer @Clay_FC As he took the podium to address a crowd of donors, staff, fans and reporters inside Apogee Stadium, new athletic director Wren Baker embraced university President Neal Smatresk. An obviously humbled Baker was soon joined by his two daughters as they rushed the podium where their father was speaking.

By Austin Jackson Staff Writer @a_jack17 High tides at Little Elm wake park stir competitive spirits A damp mop of hair and freckles peek from underneath 17-year-old Brandon Warford’s helmet as his feet soak in the water, waiting for the line to catch and take him away.

“For me and my family, today is a new point,” Baker said. “I can’t tell you how humbled I am to be trusted in leading the Mean Green athletic program.”

The day was a homecoming of sorts as Baker and his wife both grew up less than 150 miles from Denton, noting both he and his family love the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Baker comes to North Texas after serving as interim athletic

Full-Image Twitter @WrenBaker | Courtesy director at the University of Missouri. Before Missouri, Baker was the deputy athletic director at the University of Memphis. Baker had a heavy hand in helping turn the

Memphis football program around. He also aided in saving the program money while increasing revenue.

Former North Texas interim athletic director Hank

Dickenson, who took over after Rick Villareal resigned in May, noted the similarities between North Texas and Memphis.“I

SEE ATHLETICS ON PAGE 3

UNT revamping parking permit system

By Julia Falcon Staff Writer @falconjulia22 UNT has announced noticeable changes in its on-campus parking, specifically with parking lots and parking permits.

YOGA ON PAGE 5

The blog shows various pornographic posts, among which are her own videos having sex in a UNT dorm, later confirmed to be Kerr Hall in one of the videos. The videos are filmed secretly and vary between handheld and stationary shooting.They are attributed to multiple people behind the camera: three separate occasions in the blog to an “Erin,” two occasions to an SEE PROSTITUTION ON PAGE 6

LITTLE ELM

PARKING

ON PAGE 5 ON PAGE 5 CARTOON ON

Nystrom allegedly lived with a man named Joshua Jackson in the fall semester of 2012. On April 27, authorities arrested Jackson in Wichita Falls for violating his parole by obtaining firearms. Authorities also said he forced Nystrom into sex trafficking, the investigation starting Feb. 9 when the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office contacted the North Texas Trafficking Task Force about a woman who said was a victim of sexual trafficking.

The affidavit associated with the arrest told of a woman who identifies herself as “V.N.” and said she enrolled at UNT in the fall 2012 semester and moved into a dorm when she was 18. Having met Jackson at an anime convention in Dallas, they began living together in the dorm, the setting for many pornographic videos found in Nystrom’s blog.

Nystrom said Jackson used “force, fraud and coercion” to make her engage in commercial sex acts.

Nystrom declined to comment, and efforts to reach Jackson for comment were unsuccessful.

In a statement sent to UNT students via e-mail, UNT officials said the most noticeable changes will be to the parking permits and

lots across campus, which have been changed to allow commuters closer access to campus.

UNT spokesperson Margarita Venegas said transportation services reworked the parking lots and permit system this year in further response to concerns from students.

“Transportation Services received feedback from students

last year both in person and from comments on social media, especially in the fall semester, saying they felt there wasn’t adequate parking,” Venegas said.

“In the fall last year, Transportation Services opened up some additional lots [lot 34 and lot 85] in response to provide more parking.”

UNT will be doing away with the General Commuter (“G) and Premium Commuter (“P”) permits and are instead introducing three

new parking permits beginning in the fall: The Eagle Annual permit, the Eagle Fall permit and the Remote permit.

The Eagle Annual permit is $250 and applies to upperclassmen living in residence halls or for students who commute to and from campus.

The Eagle Fall permit is $175 and is also for upperclassmen living

SEE PARKING ON PAGE 2

After a few riders pass, the cable snaps, slinging him from the cool shadow of the double-decker dock and into the warmth of the summer sun, spraying a slithering wake as his board carves from right to left before shooting up the plastic kicker ramp, leaving just air beneath him.

At liftoff, Warford pitches his body into an insane spin, simultaneously juggling the skirope from hand to hand like a Steph Curry behind-the-back crossover then—with the nonchalant brilliance of a Splash Brother, stomps out the landing, making the extraordinary look routine.

“Whoas” and “whoops” abound from the dock, but the puppeteer’s relentless strings and pulleys leave no time for him to bask in the glory, instead driving him toward the next ramp trick..

Warford, a Little Elm high school student and extreme sports junkie, is a part of the growing community of riders seeking chills and thrills as

SEE LITTLE ELM ON PAGE 8

NEWS PAGE 2

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Campus carry law could bring guns into the classroom CONCEALED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 will happen.”

Pla nca r te’s com ment brought on com menters st ressed out at her a rgument.

Computer Science sen ior Na r imon Ka rda n i sa id that cha racter izing a ll college st udent as emotiona lly a nd ment a lly incapable of ca r r ying is “i r rationa l.”

“I ca r r y ever y day a nd haven’t shot a nyone,” Ka rda n i sa id. “I’ve been st ressed, mad, bum med, a ll of it a nd haven’t shot a nyone.”

A nother com menter, sen ior Jacob Da n iel sa id the r ules a nd regulations la id out by the ca mpus ca r r y law a nd U N T’s ca mpus ca r r y com m it tee cater to both sides in a llowing “sa fe spaces” on ca mpus, ultimately not in f r inging on the “nat u ra l r ights of individua ls.”

“I have a r ight to defend myself,” Da n iel sa id. “I f what [Pla nca r te] in fer[s] is t r ue about h igh ly un-st able individua ls, how is U N T not a bloodbath a l ready? You ca n ha r m a nd k ill people with nu-merous th ings found on ca mpus a l ready. How do the ca feter ia workers ma nage to get by a f ter r ude peers a nd st udents cr iticize them? T hey work by k n ives a ll the time, why isn’t ever yone chopped to lit tle pieces? ”

T he dissenting a rgument f rom Jou r na lism sen ior Ja mes Elim ia n was a cr itique of the implemen-t ation of the law a ltogether. He sa id

Campus carry went into effect Aug. 1 for public colleges in Texas. Concealed handgun license holders can carry their weapons onto public univesity campuses. Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor the law is t r ying to “solve a problem that doesn’t exist… in Texas,” citing the last mass shooting on a college ca mpus in the st ate as the 1966 U T massa- cre. He added that exa mples brought up by

other com menters, li ke the 20 07 Vi rgin ia Tech shooting, ignore the fact that exa mples should come f rom “ou r own state.”

“I can somewhat understand

the a rgument that people want to have guns on campus to feel more protected,” Elim ian said. “I don’t see why students in our state would need to feel more protected because we’re a state who relies heavily on our gun culture. You don’t need them on our college campuses which al ready have campus police who a re

al ready a r med and whose enti re job de-scr iption is to keep us all safe.”

Elim ian also noted it is “not fai r” pr ivate schools got the choice to opt out of the law, and added he feels no reason a student should br ing a gun into “places of lea r ning.” He said it would add un-needed tension and stress to students and faculty.

“ We d o n’ t n e e d p r i v a t e citizens tr ying to ta ke t he law i nto t hei r ow n ha nds a nd playi ng hero i f we were ever to dea l with a mass shooting on c a m pu s,” E l i m ia n s a id.

“It wou ld cause a lot of confu-sion as to who the ‘a c t i v e shooter’ wou ld b e i f ever yone ha s t hei r g u n s.”

UNT revamping parking permit system for upcoming year PARKING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 living in residence halls or for students who commute to and from campus, but is a lower cost because it is only for the fall semester.

The Remote permit is $125 and is available to all students who want a lower cost option.

This permit provides parking in Lot 80 near Victory Hall.

The permits for the 20162017 school year will be available on the parking and transportation website beginning Friday, Aug. 12.

Many of the current resident (“R”) parking lots will be

converted into Eagle permit lots. The new “R” lots are Lot 20 (at Fouts Field), Lot 19 (on either side of Santa Fe Hall), and Lots 80, 81 and 85 (on the east side of Victory Hall).

Lot 40, located behind the Greek Life Center, will be closed to prepare for future property development, Venegas said, and will close on Aug. 15.

Lot 25, located at the corner of Avenue C and Highland Street by Crumley Hall, will be converted to a visitor parking lot.

Lot 27 will also be losing a few spots due to development of new walkways, which are

part of the university’s master plan.

And to address the overcrowding in parking lots – one of students’ biggest complaints -- fewer permits will be sold to students.

“Students felt the parking permits were being too oversold, so there will be a limited number of student parking permits sold to prevent these issues,” Venegas said.

“UNT Transportation Services partners with Denton County Transportation Authority to provide local routes and commuter bus service to campus.”

New parking permits can be purchased Aug. 12 on transportation.unt.edu. Hannah Lauritzen | Design Editor

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3

COLLEGE OF MUSIC

A lifetime of achievement behind professors contributions

By Adalberto Toledo Senior Staff Writer @aldot29 The UNT College of Music’s prestige is rampant throughout different genres within the school.

On the symphonic side, a large portion of the success can be attributed to Anshel Brusilow, former orchestra leader for UNT’s Symphony Orchestra.

Brusilow’s memoir, “Shoot the Conductor: Too Close to Monteux, Szell, and Ormandy”, received the Gold award from Foreword Reviews’ 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards. The book, co-written with Robin Underdahl, is published by UNT Press, and chronicles his life and relationship with his influential mentors, many of them conductors he admired and learned under.

His storied history with UNT began with a committee that

selected him almost unanimously -- the dissenting vote from George Papich, regents professor of chamber music, who would later become his best friend.

“It was a personal vibe I got off of him, but when he got hired, of course, the first thing he did was come to my office and he wanted to know why I didn’t vote for him,” Papich said. “I told him, and we just laughed about it.”

Their friendship grew after that, mostly from the professional nature of their work at UNT. Papich said he always admired him and feels weird about saying it was a “privilege” to have worked with him, considering their friendship outside of work. He feels the esteem is necessary, though, given his renown.

A musician always “Shoot the Conductor” tells the story of a five-year-old boy who,

Anshel Brusilow, conductor of the UNT Symphony Orchestra. Li Fan | Courtesy

in 1933, took up the violin. Having been born in a Russian-Jewish neighborhood in Philadelphia, where the sound of instruments was common, his musical ear developed early.

As a result, he soloed for the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 16, leaving no doubt he would be noticed. Brusilow became the youngest conducting student ever accepted by French conductor Pierre Monteux.

“Oh, [Monteux’] work was beautifully done,” Brusilow said.

“He was French and his French music was ideal and personally very fragrant and lovely feeling.

Very much like lace underwear.”

His studies with Monteux brought about slightly turbulent relationships, not only with Monteux himself but with George Szell and Eugene Ormandy as well. As Cleveland Orchestra’s associate concertmaster, Ormandy took a notice to him and made him concertmaster at the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he remained until 1966.

Anshel Brusilow. UNT | Courtesy

But what became a fatherson type relationship between Brusilow and Ormandy began to fade. The problems mainly stemmed from what Brusilow calls “conductoritis.”

UNT years Brusilow began his tenure about a year after his first position as an adjunct professor with UNT and lasted from 1973 until 1981 - his second tenure from 1989 to 2008.

He said he misses UNT every day, especially teaching young generations of musicians.

“They all wanted me to stay and play the violin, and told me I shouldn’t be a conductor,” Brusilow said. “But I had the conductoritis.

In many ways, I hurt them by leaving them. They didn’t want me to put down the violin, but I was

never sorry.”

Brusilow substituted his violin for the conductor’s baton and created the Philadelphia Chamber Symphony, until he took up the task of conducting the then-troubled Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1971. His path to DFW was paved.

“I loved the environment,” Brusilow said. “I wanted the opportunity to teach these young people some of the greatest

music ever written. Here was an opportunity for me to explain what music is all about, or try to. I had to take it.”

The opportunity did not only yield happiness for Brusilow - it also created a flood of applications to the school of music.

“He was a source for all of us that taught music,” Papich said. “[UNT] went from a place to where the orchestra was fine to all of a sudden a place where all the talented kids, which were hard to get at that time, were all coming here and playing in his orchestra.”

Papich said Brusilow brought the first significant growth in talent at UNT, with the students who came considering the department “first class.”

As a viola teacher at the time, Papich said he would get violin players who weren’t very good and switch them to viola, creating “mediocre” performances. He said he would go to high schools across Texas to find good viola players for his program.

The payout of teaching and conducting fulfilled his life, he said, and he has no “feelings of bitterness or regret” about his life.

Brusilow even said he thanks UNT for “saving his life.”

“North Texas was the best thing that happened, and teaching,” Brusilow said. “I realized how little I knew once I started teaching. I can’t begin to tell you how special it was.”

FOOD

Founders of Seven Mile Café open breakfast delivery service

By Julia Falcon Staff Writer @falconjulia22 As of Thursday, Aug. 4, a delivery-only breakfast service will be driving around Denton.

Breckie’s will open at 8 a.m. on Thursday and serve similar breakfast and lunch items on its menu as its neighboring restaurant, Seven Mile Café.

Kevin Klingele, who coowns Seven Mile Café along with his wife Josie, said the free delivery service has a more limited but innovative menu.

“There will be a more creative twist to the food items,” Klingele said. “We wanted to deliver something new and convenient to Denton. The whole push is to give breakfast in a new and fast way, and to make a big convenience factor to that.”

Fletcher Franklin, kitchen manager for Breckie’s, and Andrew Bowman, who is the assistant kitchen manager, both collaborated and came up with the items for the menu.

Franklin said Klingele brainstormed a handful of ideas, and when the thought of a breakfast delivery service came up, he was all for it.

“We were like, ‘Hell yeah, that sounds awesome’ and threw ideas at him,” Franklin said. “We already owned the coffee shop building and it really isn’t being used for

anything else but coffee. We wanted to develop a cool, different menu a lot of people haven’t seen.”

The food can be considered either or breakfast or lunch, but with a twist. Bowman said they wanted to introduce a different type of food to Denton.

“We’re going to be competing with other breakfast restaurants, but obviously this is a new age trend,” Franklin said.

An example is the chicken biscuit sandwich, which consists of an oversized biscuit that is made in house. The chicken is cooked in in-house batter and fried, bringing out the sweet and savory, and the bacon is candied with a sauce that has pineapples and chipotle peppers in it.

“It is a fine line between breakfast and lunch,” Bowman said. “Everything could be lunch but also has aspects of breakfast. With the creativity, we are still strict because we want to make sure everything is good and remains hot while travelling. If it doesn’t stay hot or keep the same texture, we will try to fix it.”

Breckie’s can be ordered via their website or on their mobile app, and currently has two delivery drivers on staff.

Klingele said he will be just as committed and will run things the same way Seven Mile is.

“The food is healthier and more innovative with more innovative options,” Klingele

said. “Fletcher and Andrew are the heartbeat behind this.

They have a lot of freedom with this. We are all cheering for them, and Seven Mile is supporting as well.”

Breckie’s will be functioning out of the Seven Mile coffee shop, which made it easier to open, only needing three months to prepare.

“There will be some error and we will try to do what we can and hopefully the community will communicate that with us,” Franklin said. “We have the food, the equipment, staff, but we know we will get to the point where we get very busy.”

Although Franklin and Bowman came up with the menu, they both expect to go through trial and error as the business grows and gets running.

“We can only do so much to prepare, but you don’t know until you start hit and running.

It’s definitely one of those ‘Let’s wait and see’ moments,” Bowman said. “If this works out, it will grow with Seven Mile. This is kind of testing the waters to see if it will work. Both of us definitely think it will work. We want to open a bigger kitchen and deliver to a further radius.”

Breckie’s has only just opened, but Fletcher is already coming up with the restaurant’s next steps.

“I have no idea how the outcome will be, but I am excited,” Fletcher said.

Breckies started delivering food Aug. 4 outside of Seven Mile Café’s smaller venue next door. Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor “Doors are open to endless possibilities.

Exam week would be crazy, I’m sure we will do things to adapt after we figure out how successful we will be.”

One idea Bowman mentioned was possibly

the get-go.

“Every item on our menu is the right mix of sweet and salty,” he said. “This could be breakfast but then it could be lunch too. The twist we play on it, there is nothing like that around here.”

A hopeful Wren Baker introduced as UNT athletic director CHARGES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 think the experience with Memphis where the basketball program was certainly at a high level in terms of support, but the football had historically been at an up-and-down,” Dickenson said. “[It was] very similar to North Texas, peaks and valleys but not enough peaks. He was a part of a real reclamation process there.”

Baker was attracted to the North Texas job after seeing the hire of head football coach Seth Littrell, and the area the university sits in. The talent rich D-FW hotbed for all sports got Baker’s attention, and the quality of living around the university helped Baker want to seal the deal.

Above all, he noted a desire of the coaching staff and athletes to win.

Courtesy

adding a food truck and try even crazier things with their menu that catch people’s attention.

But even in the early phases of his new endeavor, Franklin said he thinks the food will get a positive response from

“As I had discussions with

the president and chairman I am confident there’s a lot of resources in place,” Baker said.

“There’s just a desire to win.

There’s a strong desire to win. I think we’ve got great coaches. I never had a negative impression of North Texas.”

North Texas becoming not only tier-1 as a research university, but as a tier 1 athletic school.

With many North Texas athletic programs picking up academic honors last school year, Baker hopes to be able to continue to that greatness while adding to the on-field honors.

Baker was announced on July 29 as the new AD and has yet to find the time to evaluate his administrative staff, but said he will do so in the coming weeks.

Smatresk knew Baker was the man for the job. “[Baker] was clearly my far and away my top choice,” Smatresk said. “I don’t think we could have gotten a better one.”

“We will focus on investing in our student athletes,” Baker said. “Their experience, as well as their personal growth is critical.”

Smatresk said he feels Baker can carry on the vision he has of

“While we still have a ways to go, we have wonderful coaches, and a good promising future,” Smatresk said. “We went through a lot of ideas, and at the end of the day we found the guy that put it all together for us. We found a guy that has built athletic programs from scratch.”

For now, however, Baker is focused on only one thing.

“By golly, we will win,” Baker said, joking that he had to keep his speech family friendly. “I am confident we will accomplish great things.

Let’s get going.”

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 4

ALUMNI

FACULTY

By Julia Falcon Staff Writer @falconjulia22

By Adalberto Toledo Senior Staff Writer @adaltoledo29

College of Information alum leaves College of Information adding new dean, linguistics department $1.2 million to school in will The UNT College of Information is on the search for someone to fill the chair seat for the Jesse Reinburg endowment fund.

Reinburg graduated from what was originally called the UNT School of Library Sciences in 1941. She passed away last September, leaving $1.2 million in her estate to the College of Information.

When people leave money to UNT in their will, they do it one of three ways: give it to the school in full, put it toward something specific, or donate it to a broader subject.

Roy Grisham, senior director of development for planned giving, said an endowment fund is established for specific purposes, such as this one for the College of Information.

“Jesse was obviously thinking about the future generations. Her money went to two churches, and the University of North Texas,” Grisham said. “She realized there is a need for the future. She left it open to the college based on what the student needs, which is why they are still drafting it.

It’s typically a great sign of a visionary. That makes this gift special.”

Establishing someone to fill a chair seat is important for the research or use of the money from the endowment.

“When you establish a chair, it is prestigious for the institution and the person in the chair.

They will fill the position of the name chair, they do research,” Alan Thornton, director of development for the College of Information said. “Because this position is just now formulating,

they have an idea of what to do with the money, but don’t have a plan yet. We get the money, search nationally for the chair, and the new dean who starts Aug. 15 will choose.”

Thornton also said the College of information has fewer chairs than other colleges at UNT, making this is a positive sign of growth.

“Having a named chair brings a little more notoriety to your college,” Thornton said. “It looks good for the college to have name chairs. It gives more prestige. We don’t know what the new dean and the new chair will want to do with the money or study.”

Grisham said once the college receives all of the money and gets someone in the chair, they can use the money however they please.

“Most people in the College of Information are masters or doctorate students. They are getting an advanced education to move forward in their profession,” Grisham said. “The money comes to us in shifts. There will be two more distributions by the time we

get the money.”

At least 80 percent of donations and gifts to the university come from alumni, like Reinburg.

“When we got the call she passed away, I met with with the two representatives of the churches and an attorney,” Grisham said. “She wanted everything handled, and didn’t notify anyone except her attorney and executor that she was giving these very, very large gifts. This represents total liquidation of her estate.”

Thornton said that some of the work done at the College of Information is helping connect people, technology and data into one.

“Data science is kind of a new buzzword - you see it a lot in corporate America, all these different data points they collect,” Thornton said. “Big data is the collection of all this data. Data science is studying all of this data for corporate industry. Many alums are loyal to their major professor, and they are loyal to their graduated program.”

The College of Information is welcoming two new additions to its offices: new dean Kinshuk and a new Linguistics department.

“The College of Information is a young, innovative college that is still shaping itself and has tremendous potential to develop and grow,” Provost Finley Graves said. “Dr. Kinshuk is a proven leader and visionary who we believe will help the college realize its potential.”

Before his post as the new dean, Kinshuk was the associate dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada.

He will begin his new position on Aug. 15, with Regents professor of Decision Sciences Victor Prybutok serving as an interim since February.

The addition of Kinshuk and the department of linguistics is a milestone in the eight-year history of the college. Previously, linguistics was a program, but heightened enrollment has turned them into a full department.

“I am really looking forward to contribute to the ambitions that UNT has for the College of Information,” Kinshuk said.

“There are so many people [at UNT] that are far more intelligent and knowledgeable than me. I want to learn a lot from them, and I know that they have lots of expectations and I will do my best to meet them.”

Among his new

responsibilities will be directing the further growth of the linguistics department, which program director Patricia CukorAvila said has room to expand in post-graduate fields and has hired two new faculty.

She sees the integration of linguistics and computer science, as well as other interdisciplinary research, as key features for the College of Information.

“We started linguistics as a program with the intention of going for department status, and now it’s so great that we’ve gotten there,” Cukor-Avila said.

“As linguists we study language, and language is at the root of any field you can think of, especially computer science.”

Cukor-Avila said if there’s ever any question as to how Google, for example, manages to take typed words into search results, the answer is linguistics.

She said recently tech companies have been hiring more and more linguists, because they are the ones who know the structure of language and the way language works.

Along with linguistics’ growth in the computer science, CukorAvila would like to see the new dean do more for linguistic documentation - a field based in the preservation of extinct or endangered languages. She’d also like to strengthen the ESL side of the college.

“We’d like to see a lot more growth in faculty, but right now we’re trying to attract more students into our programs

and get more marketing and recruiting,” Cukor-Avila said.

“Our next big step is to market the college well.”

Cukor-Avila expects the new dean will do a lot for the college, given his varied background.

Originally from Kota, India, Kinshuk received a Master of Science in mechanical computer aided engineering from Strathclyde University in Scotland, a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Rajasthan in India, and his doctoral degree from De Montfort University in England.

His academic positions have put him in places like Germany, England and New Zealand, to name a few.

Kinshuk hopes to implement new ways technology can improve on education, thinking long-term to the needs of students not five or 10 years in the future, but decades. He is communityoriented and wants to bring in community and market feedback so students can have as realistic a future as possible.

But above all, he said he wants to get the alumni more involved.

“They have gone through the process, and they are passionate about it because they did their degree [at UNT],” Kinshuk said.

“So the question is, ‘How we can really see what they can do for our students?’ We need to figure out how we can engage them so that our students can benefit from their experience.”

CITY COUNCIL Jesse Reinburg, College of Information Dean. UNT|Contribution

Ready for the semester?

Denton Community Market could relocate near Denton police department

By Julia Falcon Staff Writer @falconjulia22 T h e D ent on C om mu n it y M a r ket c ou ld b e h e a d i ng t o a n ew, big ge r lo c a t ion at the D ent on p ol ic e st a t ion p a r k i ng lot a nd p ol ic e t r a i n i ng st a t ion on E xp o sit ion D r ive.

T h e D ent on Cit y C ou nc i l d i s cu s s e d t h e p o ssibi l it y of t h e move, wh ich wa s f i r st p r o p o s e d la st ye a r, a t it s m e et i ng Tu e s d ay, Aug. 2. “ T h i s wa s t o p r e s ent t h e f i n a l d evelo p m ent pla n fo r t h e sit e. Q u e st ion s a r o s e a b out t h e lo c a t ion of t h e sit e,” M ayo r C h r i s Wa t t s s a id. “ D i r e c t ion wa s g iven t o t h e sub c om m it t e e t o b r i ng ba ck s om e a lt e r n a t ive sit e s o r s om e mo d i f ic a t ion s t o t h e sit e. We a r e st i l l lo ok i ng fo r a sit e, exp a nd i ng t h e s e a r ch, a nd t r y i ng t o f i x s om e i s su e s.”

T h e p r o duc e r- on ly m a r ket a nd a r t m a r ket i s o p en eve r y Sa t u r d ay mo r n i ng f r om Ap r i l t o Novemb e r a nd sup p o r t s lo c a l bu si n e s s e s.

O n e i s su e i n r elo c a t i ng, howeve r, i s p a r k i ng, du e t o t h e D ent on p ol ic e t r a i n i ng c ent e r p o t ent ia l ly sh a r i ng

a sp a c e w it h t h e m a r ket.

A not h e r i s t h e p o ssibi l it y of h av i ng la rge event s a c r o ss f r om t h e p ol ic e st a t ion, c onc e r n i ng loud mu sic a nd a lc ohol c on su m p t ion, a nd s a fet y c onc e r n s fo r p ol ic e of f ic e r s w it h t h e p ot ent ia l la rge ga t h e r i ngs, Wa t t s s a id. “ T h e s e a r e t h i ngs you n e e d t o b e c a r ef u l of,” Wa t t s a d d e d. “ We a r e lo ok i ng fo r b et t e r a lt e r n a t ive s fo r a w i n -w i n sit u a t ion fo r eve r yb o dy.”

D ent on p ol ic e C h ief L e e Howel l showe d up t o t h e c ou nc i l’s wo r k s e ssion a nd exp r e ss e d h i s c onc e r n a b out t h e p r oj e c t b ei ng lo c a t e d a t t h e E xp o sit ion lot. “ I a m not o p p o s e d t o t h e m a r ket, but I ju st d on’t t h i n k t h e exp o sit ion lot i s a go o d lo c a t ion,” Howel l s a id. “ T h e r e a r e p a r k i ng i ssu e s.

Cit y H a l l E a st a l r e a dy fe el s t h e i m p a c t of p a r k i ng i ssu e s.

D C TA r id e r sh ip h a s explo d e d a nd t a ke s up a l l t h e r a i l r o a d st r e et lot, spi l l i ng i nt o ou r lot s a nd t h e exp o sit ion lot.”

Howel l a l s o s a id t r a f f ic c onge st ion a nd bu i ld i ng s e cu r it y a r e c onc e r n s t o h i m i n p ot ent ia l ly h av i ng t h e

m a r ket move t o it s p r o p o s e d lo c a t ion.

“The c onc e r n s t o d ay a r e t h e s a m e but r ela t ively d i f fe r ent,” Howel l s a id.

“C r owd s of p e o ple fo r a ny r e a s on i nt o a n a r e a t h a t i s c ont i nu i ng t o d evelo p w i l l ju st c om p ou nd t h a t.

Eve r yon e a r ou nd the c it y exp e r ienc e s t r a f f ic.

W h en you put t h a t i nt o bu si n e ss of t h e p ol ic e st a t ion, r e sp ond i ng t o t h e ja i l a nd E MS f r om t i m e t o t i m e, t h e a c c e ss i s a l r e a dy c onge st e d.”

C ou nc i l i s exp e c t e d r e a ch a c onclu sion w it h i n t h e n ext 6 0 t o 9 0 d ays.

D u r i ng the m e et i ng, D ent on r e sid ent Wi l l ia m F r en kel exp r e ss e d his g r a t it ud e to c ou nc i l m emb e r s du r i ng o p en m ic a b out t h ei r h elp w it h t h e m a r ket. “ I h ave l ive d i n D ent on fo r 17 ye a r s, a nd si nc e t h e m a r ket o p en e d I h ave volu nt e e r e d a nd h elp e d f u nd r a i s e,” F r en kel s a id. “ T h i s go e s t owa r d s my fo o d o p e r a t i ng l ic en s e. T h a n k you fo r f u l ly r e c og n i z i ng t h e va lu e of t h e m a r ket.”

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ARTS & LIFE PAGE 5

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Spreading good karma: yoga offers solace through tribulation

By Kayleigh Bywater Senior Staff Writer @kayleighbywater Like most nights on the Square, it’s a busy Monday night.

Music can be heard on openmic night from LSA Burger’s roof.

Performers play music on the streets as dog owners stroll with their pets and bikes glide. Young and old frantically pace from one end of the street to the other in pursuit of more Pokémon to add to their collections – typical scenery.

Through the hustle and bustle, however, a sense of peace and quiet reigns over the courthouse lawn. While many people on the Square are going about their evening, one group on the lawn tries to break from their every day obligations.

Karma Yoga goes about its weekly Yoga on the Square session, but at the heart of it is someone who has been with the group since its inception: Tiffany Johnson. A co-founder of the group, she has been helping fellow Dentonites escape the craziness of everyday life, even if her own daily experiences aren’t a walk in the park.

“Yoga provides more than just physical benefits,” Johnson said. “It’s about getting out of your head and into your body. There are so many studios or gyms out there that offer yoga, but at a serious cost. We aren’t out here to nickel and dime the community, we’re out here to help people in whatever way we can.”

Johnson and her best friend, Jessica McReynolds, started Karma Yoga in March 2015. Although they became quick friends, their common obstacles brought them together to help assist people who face challenges or want a healthy means of escape.

Johnson started doing yoga around six years ago as a means of not only finding an outlet from school and work, but to help her health. She faces an ongoing battle with anxiety and depression that she’s been able to fight with the help of yoga. Now, she wants to share her experiences with those around

her.

Remedial routines Yoga has been known to help build muscle strength, perfect posture, help lower blood pressure, but it has also proven to lower body stress, a contributing factor to anxiety and depression.

“A lot of people think yoga is all about the physical postures, but it goes so much deeper,” Johnson said. “Yoga is the medicine that got me off antidepressants. It’s taught me to be in the present moment and to just relax. I might have a full-time job to pay student loans, but I have Karma Yoga to fill my heart.”

Johnson, a 2010 UNT graduate and Denton resident for the past four years, said she’s always loved Denton and wanted to give back to the community in an unprecedented way.

So, with the help of McReynolds, Johnson made it a goal to ensure people are able to feel the same benefits yoga gives her at an affordable price.

“I wanted to share with the community that yoga is selfish, and that’s really a great thing,” Johnson said. “The hardest part of doing yoga is rolling out the mat because you are rolling out 60 minutes to just forget everything and take care of yourself.

Self love isn’t practiced enough, and it’s the tools you learn on the mat, like patience and compassion, that you take off the mat.”

One of Johnson goals, through Karma Yoga, is to make sure that everyone, no matter the personal battles they face, knows they are welcome.

Johnson and McReynolds clicked instantly under this shared mentality.

Common compassion Over two years ago, McReynold’s husband passed away. After this, she began to fully immerse herself into yoga, seeking deeper into the delicate art for the most complete experience it has the potential to provide.

She and Johnson met when they were training to be yoga instructors, and

Tiffany Johnson leads a group of about 50 people in yoga poses at Karma Yoga on the Square in Denton. Johnson cofounded Karma Yoga with McReynolds in March 2015. Kristina Uresti | Staff Photographer she said she knew they were destined to start this practice for others who might contend with similar, tremulous battles. Or those who may just want to experience something new.

“You don’t need $120 a month to do yoga. You should be able to do it anywhere, wherever, whenever,” McReynolds said. “And Tiffany felt that way to.”

McReynolds was originally hesitant to undertake a business venture with her best friend, but ultimately found the wherewithal in shared compassion.

“I think we both just wanted to make a difference with someone who cares, too,” she said.

Johnson and McReynolds strive to make their practice areas safe and affordable, but they also put effort into

making each session fun. Karma Yoga partners with different businesses around Denton, such as Audacity Brewhouse and Harvest House, to shake up the scenery by way of practicing yoga in unorthodox places.

The duo incorporates these businesses to attract clientele so they stick around. It’s a way for them to give back to the community they say has given so much to them.

“Since we do have so many partners and participants in the community, you’re never really alone,” Johnson said. “Whenever I’m out, I always run into fellow yogis or people I’ve met through Karma Yoga just because as a community, we all stick together. We embrace each other with open arms because we all know just how crazy life

can get.”

One person who has participated in Karma Yoga classes since its start and is now training to become a Karma Yoga instructor is Clair Jameson.

Jameson, who works a full-time job in corporate America, said she needed a way to balance her work and her outside schedule.

Although yoga itself can be challenging to start, she said the group and its instructors allowed her to open up and be herself, which is one of Karma Yoga’s main goals.

“Yoga just gives you permission to completely be yourself,” Jameson said. “It’s not like how you see it in the pictures, where people are trying to pose for the perfect Instagram photo.

It’s real, and these ladies help you open

up doors to new possibilities because they’ve most likely been in your shoes.”

While Johnson still faces some hardships, she said being able to share her love with others who may also be going through tough times is one of the biggest rewards to her. Even though she may not be able to make it to every event or assist every yogi, she hopes that people are getting something out of Karma Yoga to help better their own lives.

“I always tell people that I’m not trying to tell them how to live their life, I just want to be their guide,” Johnson said. “Yoga is designed for you to find yourself. And, honestly, at the end of the day, it’s about what yoga has done for your life now, not what’s going to happen in the future.”

HEALTH

Students advised to take precautions as mosquito season begins

By Anastasia Moncada Contributing Writer Mosquito season is in full swing, and with Denton entering Risk Level 4 of Mosquito Surveillance and Response Plan as of July 20, it’s important to be reminded of the preventative measures students should partake in.

The condition of Risk Level 4 brings concerns of a moderate to high probability of a human outbreak, according to the release statement from the City of Denton’s website. While the City will increase the use of the biological agent, BTI, to kill mosquito larva, “citizen involvement is essential,” according to the release statement from the City of Denton’s website.

“Be aware of standing water and help eliminate breeding areas by dumping standing water when possible,” UNT’s environmental health and safety coordinator Vicki Coffey said. “Even a bottle cap of water can breed hundreds of mosquitoes.”

Entry of Risk Level 4 was triggered from positive samples for West Nile virus that were collected on July 12 from a trap near the Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Plant and a trap at Robson Ranch, according to a released statement from the City of Denton’s website.

“UNT’s pest control company has taken an active role in mosquito control efforts,” Coffey said.

“They place Altoside granules or dunks in standing water. They also do the ground spraying with Mosquito Barrier, [a] garlic-based product, for outdoor events.”

As for safety concerns regarding the use of the repellents, Altoside and Mosquito Barrier, Coffey assured that they “are all safe for the environment and not

harmful to humans or animals.”

said.

Although UNT is being proactive with the risks mosquitoes may cause, “students should be aware that mosquitoborne illnesses are possible,” assistant director of Outreach at the Student and Health Center, Kerry Stanhope said.

“I don’t think people are as aware of the issue,” Taite Bailey, hospitality management sophomore said. “People just blow it off. We just [hear] of people getting diagnosed with [mosquitoborne diseases] or dying from [mosquito-borne diseases].”

Students are especially at risk when they do not adhere to everyday precautions such as using repellents with concentrations of up to 30 percent of DEET or wearing long sleeve shirts and pants, Stanhope said in regard to avoiding exposure to mosquitoes.

However, even cautious students “should not let that awareness affect their daily lives,” Stanhope

However, even with knowing about the dangers mosquito-borne diseases may cause Bailey said she only uses mosquito repellent occasionally.

“Not on a regular occasion, [but] usually around night time when I know I’m going to be outside,” she said.

North Texas Daily Editorial Board

Editor-In-Chief................... Harrison Long HarrisonLong@my.unt.edu....@HarrisonGLong

News Editor...............................Scott Sidway s.sidway@gmail.com............@ScottyWK

Features Editor..........................Matt Payne mattpayne1994@gmail.com........@MattePaper

Visuals Editor..............................Tomas Gonzalez ramiro.gonzalez92@gmail.com............@TomasGVisuals

Opinion Editor.............................Preston Mitchell PrestonMitch94@gmail.com.............@preston_mitch

Production

Design Editor........................Jynn Schubert Design Editor.....................................Hannah Lauritzen Copy Editor..........................................Chelsea Watkins For Advertising, please call 940-565-3989 or email adsales@unt.edu

book by arthur laurents music by leonard bernstein lyrics by stephen sondheim, and conception/choreography by jerome robbins

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 6

Evidence of prostitution in Kerr Hall uncovered PROSTITUTION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

UNT student named in connection with running escort service out of dorm room

“Evan,” and once to a “Joseph.”

“It’s nearly unimaginable to me that a long term thing like this could have happened in a dorm,” UNT President Neal Smatresk said. “All protection available would’ve been afforded and all of our past policies would have disallowed this.”

The blog’s first post was on Feb. 1, 2016 and its last post was April 25, two days before Jackson’s arrest in Wichita Falls. The videos posted to the blog show more than one location, all of them being places Nystrom and Jackson lived, including their most recent residence together: an apartment complex off Highway 121 in Grapevine.

Tony Avera, 27, a former roommate of Nystrom and Jackson’s, said he never saw anything suspicious and would describe the whole situation around Jackson’s arrest as “stupid,” the weapons found with Jackson during the arres for “protection.” He added Jackson himself did not own the guns he saw around the Grapevine apartment, alleging that another roommate, Devan Jacob Endert, owned them. Endert could not be reached for comment.

He also said the force Jackson was accused of was unlikely.

“I didn’t know she was doing anything like that [prostitution], and if she was it wasn’t anything she was doing against her will,” Avera said. “I lived with them and I lived around them both and there were no signs of this at all. She wasn’t like beaten or anything. He wasn’t abusive toward her.”

Anime obsessed After meeting at an anime convention in Dallas, Nystrom and Jackson frequented other events across the state, even getting engaged during SanJapan 2015, a San Antonio anime convention. For both anime was a huge part of their lives. Jackson was attempting to become a professional cosplayer with help from Nystrom who took on managing Jackson’s cosplay.

According to the affidavit, in late fall of 2015, Nystrom said he forced her to lie naked on a bed and used a Taser on her stomach, chest and genitals. Roommates describe their relationship as rocky, Avera saying that Nystrom lived in the Grapevine apartment even after they had broken up in January 2016, finally leaving later that month.

During this time, Jackson was coming under a lot of scrutiny from the cosplaying community.

Jackson had claimed he was the inspiration for the character Fox Alistair, a character in the late Monty Oum’s 3D animeinfluenced animated web series RWBY. He was also attacked for claiming credit on cosplay costumes and materials he had purchased from a vendor with whom he had a long business relationship.

Ashley Jordan, a friend of Jackson’s from a foam fighting group called Sleeping Samurai, said she had moved to Pittsburgh two months before Jackson met Nystrom. She added she had not kept in contact with him for many years, but received “very vague and erratic messages” from him days before his arrest.

“He said his life was in danger and I suggested he call the police, but he went silent afterwards,” Jordan said.

“Personally, I’m not interested in getting involved in something as erratic and dan-gerous as this all seemed, so I backed off.”

Jordan said because he seemed like such a good friend to people, a lot of people would be shocked by the arrest and “white knight for him.” She added there was always a lot of “drama” behind him, and that he “latched onto fantastical ideas easily.”

“This guy, Josh, loved dramatics. He wanted life to be as intense as anime and fancied himself a main character,” Jordan said. “Looking back after [about] four years and more experience, I can see that he embellished things or likely lied about a lot.”

It was his lies that made

him unpopular in the cosplay community, and soon thereafter argu-ments started between him and Nystrom, Avera said. He said there were problems between Jackson and Nystrom during the time between their break up and her leaving their residence.

Avera said Jackson met Dominique Wagoner, who declined comment, at an anime convention after breaking off the engagement with Nystrom and soon after started dating. During this time, Nystrom and Endert also dated, until Endert broke things off before she finally left the Grapevine apartment.

An established escort Jackson maintains he didn’t know anything about Nystrom’s escorting, according to a former close friend he met in 2006, who has asked to remain anonymous under fear his connection with Jackson would jeopardize his career. However, the source, hereafter known as Mark, said Jackson thought the escorting was “non-existent” prior to their break up. Afterward, he said Jackson “accepted the idea that there was prostitution,” but insisted he hadn’t known anything about it.

“I didn’t believe him,” Mark said. “You shared a bed with someone for five years and they then had sex for money in it for five years, and you didn’t know about it? It doesn’t make sense.”

Nystrom frequented an escort website eccie.net, a fast-growing online community of “escorts, hobbyists and providers” with escort reviews, chats, galleries and discussion forums. Since June 3, 2013, she has consistently posted on the site, all of the addresses she gives out being places her and Jackson lived, according to Mark.

In a Feb. 2, 2016 thread Nystrom started, she said she had been “outted by a hobbiest” (sic) who told everyone in her home town of Muenster, Texas.

In the post, she added that she would start going by her real name, Valerie, instead of “CJ.” She said “it’s still me, I have no point in hid-ing anymore… I’m not sure how to recover from being outted (sic) besides to stop hiding” and asked for advice on the forum.

In the same thread, she spoke about the person who videotaped her sexual acts. She describes them as a “transitioning female/ male” who no one knew about, but she called them her “girlfriend/boyfriend.” She said in the post, however, that because she started dating someone else, they had to reach another agreement, and finally end the collaboration altogether.

“The problem is, I started dating another guy in the process, along with another girl. So I began paying her/ him to record my sessions for security reasons,” Nystrom said in the post. “Yes, it was for my own personal taste, but it was fun seeing if anyone noticed my little plaything hiding in the closet. After we broke up, I bought a hidden camera speaker set, so I no longer needed ‘another person.’”

In the same post, she said she found it difficult getting her roommate out of the house while she had sex and said that two weeks prior to Feb. 2, two of her roommates “caught [her] in the act,” and subsequently kicked her out. She said she robbed them, took their dog Kuro, all evidence anyone could “use on [her],” and left. She also mentioned she went to a “crisis center” and had been uploading her videos because, in her words, “in-case (sic) it went to court I have it said they were making me do it… sadly the justice system is in my favor being a pretty white female.”

In the same thread, Nystrom claims she made $120,000 from escorting, and got 82 to 88 per-cent of her business from ECCIE. She wrote ECCIE alone made her $8,000 per month.

About the videos, she said: “I’m posting the videos to get people to ask curtain (sic) questions… all of my roommates knew… so if I go down I will take them down with me…”

Though he suspected, Mark never knew her escorting was as extensive as it was. He said while visiting the Grapevine

apartment, both Jackson and Nystrom said they had a “housecall” for “massage therapy” and that he not be there, along with their roommates. In a YouTube video posted to the John Smith channel May 19 titled “Joshtruth,” the unidentified voice runs through many of the false claims Jackson has made around the cosplay community, including his claim of being a “professional masseuse.”

Mark also said this wasn’t the first time Jackson was involved with somebody tied to prostitution.

“What alarmed me about Valerie was that this was a pattern,” Mark said. “After Josh and another girl had officially broken up and the relationship was unsalvageable, then it came out that she was a prostitute.

While I suspected Valerie of being the prostitute prior to them breaking up, it never officially came out of Josh’s mouth until after they broke up. I was like, ‘Wait a minute, you broke up with another girl that’s a prostitute?”

Nystrom said she sought legal advice as per the content of the videos being filmed in Kerr Hall, but said her counsel assured her she was safe as she no longer attended UNT. On Feb. 8, Nystrom posted on ECCIE that she was safe with her parents at their house in Den-ison, and three days later a post on her blog titled “Valentine’s Day roleplay?” she invites some-one to “‘break’ into [her] house” and have sex with her, then saying she is “giving consent right now.”

The address would be given in a private message, but was later put on the blog in an April 12 post.

Sources close to both Nystrom and Jackson speculate on the authorship of the blog, the posts to PornHub and the ECCIE account. Mark said Nystrom had told him she believed Josh was up-loading the PornHub videos, which were talked about both in the ECCIE website and in her blog.

Additionally, all of the PornHub uploads and raunchy blog posts appeared online after Jackson and Nystrom broke up.

On ECCIE, members commented on the similarity between Jackson and Nystrom’s writing style. One account, Chateau Becot, wrote “even a… monkey can see the writing tempos, grammar patterns, etc. are the same. What’s the purpose of this charade?”

Nystrom had been sleeping with Endert.

It also said Endert made a false insurance claim on the guns found with Jackson at the time of his arrest, and in a post from June 20 said he is “not be[ing] charged with any kind of sex crimes or human trafficking” and has a pending

charge for unlawful possession of firearms which he said “is currently unproven.”

Of Nystrom he wrote in the June 13 post and addressed her directly. He said she “wanted to control [him]” and claimed he has a “staged call now proving [she] tried to manipulate [them] into admitting guilt for a bogus

Josh’s side of the story When Jackson was arrested on April 27 and his story subsequently published May 20 by multi-ple media sources, chatter arose in the anime community. The same anime fans who questioned his claims and brought to light his lies were unsurprised of the arrest, while others worried.

His main Facebook account was for a while inactive, but began posting again June 12 with a cryptic letter written by a “shadow,” a pseudonym Jackson often used. On June 13, a long post appeared on Facebook said to have been put there by Cheryl Lawrence, described by Avera as Samurai Titan’s “auntie,” and by Jackson as his “godmother… [his] mom…” Lawrence could not be reached for comment but since June 13 has been posting updates she receives from Jack-son while imprisoned at a DFW area federal correctional facility.

The post starts off by saying “there are a lot of rumors floating around,” and addressed the claims of abuse Nystrom made in the affidavit.

“I never forced anyone to do anything. It’s literally my M.O.” Jackson said in the post. “You can’t force anyone, especially Val[erie], the feisty red-head, to do anything she wants to do, but that doesn’t make good news.”

He claims it was Valerie who wrote his biography that stated he was the inspiration for Fox Alistair, and that the locations in the affidavit were also those of major anime conventions who she planned the visits to, since Nystrom was Jackson’s manager. He also states the reason for their break up:

Graphic Illustration by Tom Gonzalez | Visuals Editor

crime.” “[Nystrom] reminded me that I was so stupid in love. I always talked about her,” Jackson wrote in the June 13 post. “I was separated from everyone I love for four years, piece by piece.

But as I said, that doesn’t make a good news story.”

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7 MUSIC

Denton’s music scene free, open and accepting

By Daniel Berrios Contributing Writer D ent on i s a c ol lege t ow n, a nd a s su ch, i s f u ele d by t h e en e rg y of st u d ent s.

But d on’t a ssu m e t h e t ow n r el ie s on t h em. Even on a We d n e s d ay n ig ht i n Ju ly, t h e S qu a r e b e a m s w it h lo c a l mu sic.

L o c a t e d b e h i nd Abb ey I n n on H icko r y St r e et, t h e Abb ey Und e rg r ou nd d o e sn’t lo ok p a r t icu la rly sp e c ia l.

L ig ht i s sp a r s e, c a st i ng t h e r o om i n va r iou s sh a d e s of b r ow n. T h e lon e cla ck of a p o ol ba l l, Joh n Way n e’s “ R io Br avo” a nd T h e Sm it h s a r e t h e on ly d i st r a c t ion s f r om t h e ch a t t e r i ng of s even ot h e r ba r p a t r on s. He r e, eve r y c onve r s a t ion i s i n e a r sho t.

Eve r y We d n e s d ay i s O p en Ja m Nig ht, st a r t i ng a t 9 p. m.

Howeve r, t h i s t i m e, t h e ja m st a r t e d a t 10.

Su m m e r va c a t ion m ay d r o p a t t end a n c e, a nd t h e clo si ng of Rubb e r Glove s Reh e a r s a l St u d io i n May put d a m p e r s on s om e sp i r it s, but Pa u lo “Ap ol lo” C a st i l lo, a m emb e r of lo c a l d i s c o r o ck ba nd St a r p a r t y, d id n’t s e em wo r r ie d. “ T h e r e a r e st a ple s st i l l a r ou nd,” C a st i l lo s a id, r efe r r i ng t o venu e s su ch a s D a n’s Si lve rle a f a nd A ndy’s Ba r. “A nd hou s e shows a r e ju st eve r y wh e r e r ig ht now, i f you k now who t o t a l k t o.”

T h e ja m i s mo r e of a h a ngout t h a n a c on c e r t.

Mu sic ia n s sl id e f r om t h e st a ge t o a ba r a t a mom ent’s not ic e. A s et t h a t st a r t e d w it h 12 - ba r blu e s move s t o d i s c o, h a r d r o ck a nd a c ove r of Bla ck Sa bba t h’s “ Pa r a noid” wh e r e the vo c a l i st u s e d a t a l kb ox .

Underground rapper Christopher Avant has won awards for his music and resides in Denton, Texas. Hannah Ridings | Contributing Photographer T h e t a l kb ox w ield e r i s Jon a t h a n Ja ke St ei nb e rg.

A sid e f r om b ei ng the Und e rg r ou nd’s b o ok i ng a gent, h e’s t h e g u it a r i st a nd si nge r fo r St a r p a r t y, a ba nd h e d e s c r ib e d a s a “la s e r l ig ht m a s qu e r a d e show.”

St ei nb e rg s a id the Und e rg r ou nd spl it s ba nd s i nt o three c a t ego r ie s: out- of- t ow n t ou r i ng a c t s, e st a bl i sh e d lo c a l a c t s a nd n ew t a lent. T h e ja m, h e s a id, s e r ve s p a r t ia l ly t o f i nd n ew t a lent.

O n e r e c ent t a lent i s Ja m e s No r t on, a g u it a r i st i n f lu en c e d by v i r t uo s o s Yng w ie M a l m st e en a nd Jo e St u m p. Be h i nd No r t on’s shou ld e r-leng t h blond h a i r, h e’s a l l sm i le s. T h e 2 4 -ye a r- old Texa r k a n a n a t ive move d t o D ent on three we ek s a go f r om Bo st on, wh e r e h e g r a du a t e d f r om Be r k le e C ol lege of Mu sic w it h a ba ch elo r’s i n g u it a r p e r fo r m a n c e.

D e sp it e h i s h a p py a t t it ud e, No r t on s a id play i ng l ive m a ke s h i m n e r vou s, but t h a t won’t st o p h i m .

“ I h a t e b ei ng a slave t o my fe a r s,” No r t on s a id. “So I i m m e r s e mys el f. T h a t’s t h e on ly way t o get ove r t h em.”

O n e of No r t on’s p r oud e st mom ent s wa s a n o p en m ic a t A ndy’s Ba r wh e r e h i s a ud ienc e st a r t e d w it h fou r p e o ple a nd end e d w it h 3 0, a l l t h e r e fo r h i m.

Oaktopia 2015. Kristen Watson | Contributing Photographer

T h e r e’s no a n i mo sit y i n t h e s c en e, St ei nb e rg s a id. I n fa c t, h e s a id t h e o p p o sit e i s t r u e.

“The c om mon d enom i n a t o r i s a c c e pt a nc e, f r e e d om of exp r e s sion,” St ei nb e rg s a id. “ We’r e a l l st r iv i ng fo r exp a nd i ng ou r a r t.

He s a id t h e D ent on s c en e i s, i n on e wo r d, p o sit ive. “ No m a t t e r wh a t you d o, wh et h e r it b e mu sic o r t h e a t e r o r a r t, t h e r e’s goi ng t o b e a n out let t h a t’s ve r y a c c e pt i ng fo r you,” St ei nb e rg s a id.

Fig u r e 1: C l ick t h e event c a lend a r b elow to see D ent on’s l ive mu sic event s ove r t h e n ext t h r e e we ek s.

Del the Funky Homosapien performed day two of last year’s Oaktopia Music Festival. Del perfomed later then expected due to misplaced mixers. James Coreas | Contributing Photographer

COMMUNITY

Area residents voice displeasure with Texas Railroad Commission

By Matthew Reyna Staff Writer @bucko_rodgers The Texas Railroad Commission was repeatedly lambasted by speakers during a Grapevine town hall that was organized to discuss ways to reform the agency going forward before an upcoming “sunset” vote.

Sunset Town Hall was organized by Tom Smith and Rita Beving of the activist group Public Citizen and brought more than 50 people, many of whom are from local environmental groups, to the Grapevine Convention Center on Tuesday, August 3.

“This is one of those big issues that is really going to affect the future of North Texas,” Smith said. “How do we regulate the Railroad Commission? What kind of changes have to be made?”

Texas State Representatives Jim Keffer (R-Eastland) and Roberto Alonzo (D-Dallas) were featured guests and listened to public concerns. Their stated goal was to act as a bridge between the legislature and Texas citizens.

“The Railroad Commission is now up for its third go-around to pass Sunset,” Keffer said. “And it’s a tough road because it’s an extremely sensitive, hot-button issue type agency.”

Under a Sunset review, an advisory commission is tasked to seek public input and find ways

Contribution

to improve public agencies by cutting waste and considering new innovative changes to government organizations. The committee also has the option of abolishing an organization if it’s deemed no longer useful. The final results of the Sunset Advisory Commission’s review will be voted on during the legislative session next year.

A popular idea that had majority consensus amongst the group was changing the name of the Texas Railroad Commission – a name most speakers said was misleading.

“It’s totally deceptive because the commission doesn’t do anything with railroads, and it hasn’t for a very long time,” said Mark Miller, the Libertarian candidate for Railroad Commissioner who spoke during the public hearing. “The biggest problem with the name change is that fewer than five percent of Texas voters know that it does oil and gas and not railroads. It’s pulling the wool over people’s eyes.”

Multiple Dentonites attended the town hall to protest how the commission and the Texas Legislature reacted to the Denton fracking ban, which was approved by voters in 2014.

Denton resident Ed Soph said the will of city voters has long been ignored by Texas bureaucratic institutions.

“We had to [pass the ban]

because of the industry-friendly policies of the Texas Railroad Commission and their lack of concern for our health and safety,” Soph said. “Unfortunately, the result of that was not a discussion as to do what we can do better.

No, the legislature instead passed House Bill 40, which took everybody’s right in a home rule city to do what we did.”

Irving resident Kim Soldo displayed a poster that showed all of the earthquakes in the DFW area during the last six years. Multiple speakers linked recent earthquakes in the area to wastewater injection.

Multiple candidates running for state office in November’s election spoke during the public hearing, including Miller and Gary Stuard, who is the Green candidate for Texas House District 32.

Stuard vehemently denounced the Commission and their practices, saying the oil and gas industry will be held accountable if he defeats his Republican opponent Pete Sessions in November.

“It is a criminal organization and a thug arm of polluting industries that do not care and have never cared about citizens,” Stuard said. “I would love to see criminal charges brought against those on the board and those who have been feeding them money for the damage they have done.”

Milled accused the commission of incompetence as well and is not optimistic meaningful reform will be coming soon.

“The earthquake activities, they have really been totally behind the eight ball on. They have been slow to recognize what the issue is and how to deal with it,” Miller said.

“They have been very slow to recognize the science.”

The Texas Legislature’s Sunset Committee will hear official public testimony about reform to the Railroad Commission on August 22 at the Texas State Capitol.

“We want to fill up the room on August 22 and make changes,” Smith said. “This is a big damn deal. We want the commission to change the way they do business.”

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NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 8

RELIGION

Rabbi-to-be defies dogma at Denton’s Bethel Temple Fellowship

By Austin Jackson Staff Writer @a_jack17 A red-brick synagogue featuring a large beige cross stands at the intersection of Tradition and Progress.

With a little extra oomph, the or ner y white door lurches free, jerking you across a door mat that bears the Star of David and into the midst of a tight-knit congregation immersed in prayer.

The f luorescent lights and air conditioning drone and f licker until the room is transfor med by Messianic music led by the temple’s intrepid pastor, Linda Gutier rez, with the miracle stained voice of her husband, Bob. Their duet through ministr y and mar riage is in its 44th year, and since the ‘70s, the pair has led sideby-side ma king faith a family business. On Sunday, the song ends and brings Bob, and his sizeable beard, to his seat and the preacher to her pulpit.

Pastor Gutier rez then leads the congregation, and with each punchy, rhetorical “A MEN?” she subver ts the patriarchal dogma of religious authority, giving ladies, young and old, the example that they can do anything.

At Bethel Temple Fellowship Gutier rez preaches the traditional obser vance of the Torah, as well as a “newer” Testament that incor porates a Jewish approach to the Christian faith. This includes three days of ser vices, star ting with the Shabbat and ending with the Sabbath. She believes the blank page separating the two sections of the Bible should be tor n out, placing an equal emphasis on each.

Pastor Gutier rez said she was merely called by God to lead, and that she isn’t in the business of questioning the Lord’s commands.

“When you’re called, you better answer,” she said.

Since then, she’s used her passion and exper tise in

Linda Gutierrez, pastor of Temple Bethel Fellowship, leads a congregation in a sermon of the Tora. Gutierrez also teaches from the New Testament with an approach towards Christianity. Kristina Uresti | Staff Photographer Hebrew to guide her group of Messianic Jews through their spiritual jour ney.

And after October 20, Pastor Gutier rez – mother and grandmother – will become a Rabbi, the first female Messianic Jew to be ordained as Rabbi by Jewish Ministries Inter national.

She said the jour ney was a long one, requiring years of rabbinical courses to study Hebrew and traditional Judaism. Her thesis explored what female Rabbis could bring to the table. She said she has insight that men do not have, and that God created Adam and Eve to be equal, and so she sees her husband, Bob, as an equal.

Bob Gutier rez is quick

to echo his wife’s beliefs, just about as quick as he is to hand out a copy of his autobiography, “Almost Home.”

Bob’s stor y star ted with a promising music career that was halted in Vietnam after a piece of shrapnel sliced beneath his ear and through his throat, nearly killing him and rendering him without the ability to speak – much less sing.

But two and a half years later, he said the voices came to him.

“A voice said, ‘Bob, open your mouth.’ Three or four times I heard this,” he said.

“I thought I was going crazy.”

He said his voice miraculously came back just

in time to sweet talk his future wife into a life together.

Bob and Linda’s kids remain involved in the congregation, with their son, Rober t, and their daughter, Lynnette.

Bob describes her as “the Mariah Carey of Gospel music,” who can be found jamming on stage at Bethel Temple spreading the word with their collective voice.

But the familial atmosphere at Bethel Temple is not limited to blood.

The attendees of the church are ver y much a par t of the Bethel Temple family.

They lead, they share and they believe together. The congregation meets Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And

of the 15 people present, the three most outspoken were all women.

One of those women is Sabrina Chatman. Chatman perfor ms several roles at the ser vice. She sings, leads prayers and as the ser mon begins, she takes over the role of youth pastor.

“Women can be used

by God,” she said, adding that men, women, Jews and gentiles are all one in Christ.

Chatman said Pastor Gutier rez has given her the example that if God so happens to choose her to lead, she will not hesitate to follow. She said she passes that knowledge along to both the boys and the girls she teaches.

Last summer, the Bethel Temple family traveled to Israel. Chatman said their progressive ways weren’t commonplace in the Holy Land, adding that the “Or thodox don’t play.”

Despite the violence among Israel and Palestine, in addition to the or thodox legalism that would view Linda’s authoritarian position to be heretical, Bob and Linda said they felt safer “there than on Fr y Street.”

“In society, they actually think you have to be a man to be a Rabbi,” Pastor Gutier rez said. “I’ve had people say that I’m on my way to hell because I want to be a Rabbi, but the Bible doesn’t say that.”

High tides at Little Elm wake park stir competitive spirits LITTLE ELM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 they carve, slide and splash through the blue lagoon at Hydrous Wake Park.

When the Little Elm park opened up in 2013, essentially in Warford’s backyard, he decided to give it a shot. Ever since he began his ascent through the ranks, he is now one of the best advanced-level riders at the park. Warford said he has no plans of stopping soon, already having a few “pro-kevel” tricks in his arsenal.

I feel like I can do what I want with the board.”

waves to surf, the decision to build a park was a no-brainer.

Rising tides Chad Lacerte, the park’s owner, said he takes pride in the success and growth of riders like Warford.

In 2011, nine years after his moment of clarity in Orlando, he saw his vision transform into an instantly successful reality. The Allen location was so successful that just over a year after opening shop, Lacerte began breaking ground on his park in Little Elm.

“It makes me feel great that these kids are wanting to come and compete in a cool sport that we created, a sport that they didn’t have access to before we built this,” Lacerte said.

He said once his feet learned the language of the water, reading the ripples like brail, he began to see massive strides in his skill. While he still rides his skateboard and scooter to avoid getting burnt out, he’s found his “main sport.”

Lacerte’s vision for building a cable park in Texas traces back to a business trip in 2002 when he stumbled across the Orlando Watersports Complex. He immediately foresaw an opportunity for his inner surfer from So-Cal and his career in real estate development to finally converge in pursuit of a profitable dream.

“Honestly, it’s like a sixth sense — a second nature.” Warford said.

“When I first started, I was all offbalance and out of control. But now,

He said witnessing the parks efficient cable system made building a park a good idea, but given Texas’ lack of mountains to ride or lack of

Lacerte said, though hindsight is 20/20, his vision “looks pretty good.”

And on Aug. 4-7, Lacerte will brings his dream full circle as he, Warford and 13 of Hydrous’ best riders will go on a pilgrimage to the park where it all began, competing in the WWA Wakeboarding National Championship in Orlando.

Lacerte expects Team Hydrous to continue the competiveness they’ve showcased since their first National Championship, where the upstart rookies upset hometown hosts to take

the 2014 title.

Team Hydrous’ biggest strength is with their large crop of raw but enthusiastic riders who rack up points in the intermediate and beginner divisions, Lacerte said.

Lacerte thinks it’s just a matter of time before riders like Warford and his 14-year-old son, Sam, to take the next step compete with the elite riders from the more established parks.

The riders’ rapid development is a testament to the efficiency of the cable systems as well as the tightlyknit culture found around the dock, Lacerte said. Experts and beginners, young and old hang, motivate and grow together.

“With up to five riders, everyone’s progressing at the same time,” he said.

“You can see the riders in front of you while you’re hanging out with your friends on the dock,” Lacerte said Hydrous provides a cheap and relatively safe alternative to snowboarding, which he said is the closest comparison to what riding at a park provides, jokingly adding “the worst thing that can happen is you get wet.”

A dynamic duo Aric and Wess Enisco, actual

bros, make room once a week to get their fill of adrenaline as they bust chops and old-school moves at the park that Aric said in a way takes him back to his roots when he grew up snowboarding and skating in California where the Eniscos grew up.

The Enisco bros occasionally compete in park competitions, but for the most part just want to have fun.

Aric said he finds escape from work and the pressures of being an adult. “[The feeling of riding] is really freeing because literally you’re just floating out there, but it can be as hard as you want to make it,” Aric said.

In 2014, Wess was making it hard, pushing himself to land a new trick, when his board slipped out from under him.

Aric said he remembers feeling a new kind of adrenaline at the park as he saw his little brother limply bobbing facedown in the water. He said it didn’t take long for adrenaline and training to takeover, performing CPR on the shore within moments.

Three days later, Wess awoke from his coma, regaining consciousness in a hospital with a nightmare of a hangover and a 54-hour blackout, feeling sore everywhere.

But Wess said he didn’t let his

brush with death and multiple fractured vertebras keep him away for long, returning to the park just two weeks later.

Still feeling the effects of his last time on the water, Wess cruised effortlessly around the park. At first, he said he couldn’t take any more, then, madly and spontaneously, doubled-down on bad decisions by squaring up to the same ramp to try and conquer the same trick that nearly killed him.

“That’s the only problem with this place, it’s addictive,” he said.

This time around, Wess stuck the landing, returning to the water feeling fully alive and instantly curing any malignant doubts as a heavy does of pride and bliss coursed through his veins once he stuck the landing.

Lacerte said what keeps people coming back to Hydrous is intangible, but located somewhere in between the ears of each rider. He said the cable system and jumps just gives riders a better way for them to access it.

“It’s a good adrenaline rush,” Lacerte said. “Those endorphins really get going through your system when you do something new and you want to continue to feel it.”

Aric Enciso makes a jump at Hydrous Wake Park in Little Elm. Hydrous also has a wakeboard park in Allen. Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 9

FORGING

Forging a state of mind

By Matt Payne Features Editor @MattePaper Once you hit Weatherford en route to West Texas on Interstate 30, veering off onto a bumpy rock road that twists into an offbeat, grassy 80 acres will land you at a modest, former dairy farm.

It’s a vast stretch that has been owned by the same family for two generations. Sun-kissed hills of coarse pasture gallop up and down for miles with countryside estates dotting their tops. Big pick-up trucks and white picket fences make for a throwback to archetypal Southern scenery of yesterday.

The sweltering, steamy heat of a midsummer day summoning streams of sweat down the visage of anybody outside for at least five minutes is something you just learn to accept - to endure it is a prideful thing to the select ranchers and cowtown folk who rise at the crack of dawn for an honest day of manual labor, everyday.

Inside the old dairy farm, billowing, milky clouds of smoke and hissing coal fire dial up the heat as Andy McConnell, a farrier, and his trusty Border Collie mix, Tango, fashion a horseshoe with a hammer that throngs upon one single length of carbon fiber. He grits his teeth through the garish green haze, betraying a proud grin as he recalls some reckless, drunken tomfoolery whenever he free-spiritedly jury rigged a cannon in his forge (and fired it) with his old mentor.

“One thing you have to understand about me is that I’m not one to be limited by better judgment,” McConnell said.

Find McConnelloutatthis olddairyfarm,Cam Forge Farrier Service, fashioning horseshoes and rancher tools on one in the collection of his kilns he strikes ablaze in 100-degree-plus weather.

Or at another rancher’s plot of land tending to a house call to meet their horses and shoe them, with one of his portable forges he sets up directly under the sun. A farrier is a craftsman who trims and shoes horses’ hooves, and with each strike of his heavy hammer, McConnell has fashioned his own way of life.

McConnell is exhilarated by his craft, constantly joshing his clients and understudies with humor as he works. Upon graduating high school, he’d attend Texas State University and was involved in their horseshoeing school, where he’d begin to grow his knowledge on how horseshoes affect the minutia of a steed’s gait and trot, and how to interact with these sentient animals that’ll unhesitatingly buck you square in the chest with the wrong approach. As an extracurricular activity and escape from classes, the craft became second nature to McConnell.

What didn’t come so seamlessly was higher academia itself. After deliberation, McConnell dropped out of university and decided to travel to Australia.

He remembers the overwhelming rigmarole before one particular term: talks of tests and libraries and classes and accolades and a commitment he simply couldn’t envision himself undertaking.

“I looked at my dad, we had a moment and I eventually reached the point when I told I couldn’t do it,” McConnell said. “It was liberating.”

So, for nine months, McConnell trekked

across Australia to completely immerse himself into the reputable farrier culture it hosts. He’d nomadically meet dozens of his kind, attending competitions for the craft that would continually stagger his knowledge by way of real-life practice.

McConnell learned techniques exclusive to a seasoned farrier overseas. He would bring them back to the states with a drive to establish his own forge service and a new state of mind. In fact, though he travelled to modern-day Australia, he compares it to the now bygone ‘50s American way of life.

“I traveled across the country and I couldn’t tell you how many people took me in,” he said.

“People still ate together at the dinner table - it was a different style.”

At one competition he attended whenever he returned to the states, fate would have it that he’d meet the son of his future mentor, Jim Poor. After a few dinners and beers together, the two would converge passion with McConnell becoming his apprentice. His time with Poor is what he considers his true turning point. Going so far as naming his oldest son after Poor.

“I learned the fine line between being both a horseman and a business man,” McConnell said, emphasizing the fact that he’s always been a horseman first.

And beyond running a business, McConnell’s work as a farrier has saved him from stretch of depression.

One day whenever McConnell was returning to his shop after a day of work, he was backing his truck into his driveway only to run over and kill his old dog, harkening a dark time in his life marred with alcoholism and lack of motivation.

Andy McConnell watches the coals for fashioning horshoes to make sure they heat to the right temperature. Hannah Ridings | Contributing Photographer

During this time, McConnell clung to what he loved doing, and sought more knowledge by sitting in classes at the University of Texas at Arlington, a stark contrast to his former relationship with higher academia. He remembered running into one professor he was interested in studying among his physics class. McConnell asked him routine questions that included necessary books and homework. Whenever said professor asked about his lack of enrollment, he gingerly admitted that he simply was interested in learning about something that piqued his interest.

In a way, McConnell realized his humanity and imperfection, ultimately coming to terms with losing his original dog. So he continued to take time out of his own work schedule to drive to Arlington among sleepy, unenthusiastic students while he was chipper to collect every morsel of knowledge he could. Half Priced Books became a sanctuary for him, propelling him to learn specific design software that has aided him in designing the tools he creates and sells.

He reached a point when he fell in love with his border collie, Tango, who is his right-hand partner for his brand of intense labor, through both the smog of the kiln and the smog in his life.

“I became a thief for knowledge,” McConnell said. “Constantly bettering myself and learning new things is therapeutic for me.”

Like most crafts, there’s more to merely knowing how to perform a specific task, and McConnell sharpened his awareness of this after this time, but also under the hooves of a formerly abused horse named Zena.

Zena, whose home is a ranch just east of Denton, has a history of being beaten and

neglected. Her owner, Lyn Carnley, has had bad luck with bringing on farriers before McConnell who’ve unceremoniously whipped her hind-legs to try and tame her, only to be met with ruthless whinnying.

These abusive farriers have all worn aprons, which has become a trigger for Zena. Anybody donning one filled with tools and metal becomes the object of her distress and derision.

“Once I saw him strike her, I told him to haul his ass home,” Carnley said to McConnell at an appointment. “People still treat these animals like tools.”

Unaware of this, McConnell approached the horse with his routine apron strapped to his chest. Zena immediately clacked forward in a raucous havoc. It was only after several minutes of analysis that McConnell undid his apron and heaved it back into the bed of his pick-up truck to calmly approach Zena, slowly caressing her, knowing that violence toward any sensitive creature is condemnation.

“I have to be very careful of who I let work with her,” Carnley said. “It takes a certain level of trust, and [McConnell] exhibited that.”

There are a lot of trinkets and tools and tall bottles of several brews in that rustic dairy farm that’s home to Cam Forge Farrier Service, but now, there’s a man whose enveloped himself in knowledge and passion; a craft airplane that dangles from the ceiling as if it were bathing in the fluorescent light; a desktop background at his office plastered with the words “THINK BIG.” “I took time to help myself,” McConnell said.

“I had to save myself.”

FESTIVALS

Oaktopia firmly rooted, continually branching out

By Kyle Martin Staff Writer @Kyle_Martin35

In November 2013, Oaktopia made its freshman appearance in Denton, one of North Texas’s liveliest hubs for locally bred music. The setlist was modest in comparison to the big names on the 2015 ticket, but Denton was ready.

Matt Battaglia, as cofounder of the festival, said he did some minor bookings before, but never put on an event as large as Oaktopia.

“We wanted to try to represent as many different scenes of Denton as possible,” Battaglia said. “And not just music - local entrepreneurs, artisans, artists, street performers.

Pretty much anybody creating in Denton, we wanted to bring together.

And I love big concerts, so I’ve always wanted to bring big artists to our town.”

The festival, named Oaktopia after Denton’s Oak Street, was completely fundraised and sponsored. Preparation for the fest took place in August, a short three months before. In those three months, Battaglia and crew managed to string together musical acts, venues, sponsors, fences, gas generators, a main stage provided by Bud Light nearly everything needed for a music festival, and more.

“That’s pretty much it,” Battaglia said, smiling at a stool in Denton’s homely Jupiter House coffee shop.

“It was kind of a spur of the moment thing.”

Bands on the stages included headliners Del the Funky Homosapien and Astronautalis, as well as other local acts, such as The Boombachs. Local business owners and artists were in attendance to display products, art pieces, prints and more. Downtown Denton was alive with music and people were electrified.

A flagship festival

Fast-forward to 2015, and one can notice how the festival grew.

The event turned into a spectacle that involved 18 live music spots spread around Denton, roughly 60 to 80 musical acts and a bustling hive of local vendors and artists.

Battaglia is currently living in Denton, and always has been. He spent a short time at UNT, but now works full-time to build the festival into everything it can be, in the city he was born and raised in.

The 26-year-old entrepreneur now exhausts himself organizing the festival, meeting once a week with Oaktopia’s executive board to make sure plans are in order and progress is being made.

“I went for a semester [at UNT], but then we started Oaktopia and I was like, ‘Man, I’m gonna see how this goes,’” Battaglia said. “Here we are, four years later.”

Funding for the show is tricky, but Battaglia and the Oaktopia crew find ways to get things taken care of.

Oaktopia may offer things like free tickets for helping to set up, or for media coverage.

“We just basically barter for services,” Narciso Tovar, public relations spokesperson for Battaglia and Oaktopia, said.

Apart from bartering, the festival is effectively run by a militia of volunteers.

“We’re definitely upping the game on experience, but we’re also really trying to bring in different facets that we just haven’t brought forward,” Tovar said. “The other thing that we’re really striving toward is a video game night.”

Though not yet confirmed, Tovar said the Oaktopia team is planning to get the project on its feet. They are hoping to bring a video game tournament to the festival for one of the nights that would be raging from

early in the morning into the late hours of night.

“We definitely want to keep improving the overall experience for the actual festival-goer,” Tovar said.

“And because of that, we want to make every year be like, ‘Holy crap, that was just awesome.’”

Eric Pulido is new to the festival, and boarded as someone who looked to help the festival develop.

“I got involved last year as an advisor and national booking agent after the guys expressed a desire to become more eclectic and grow,” Pulido said. “I thought they had a real drive and passion for Denton and the arts, and I enjoyed the opportunity of adding to the team.”

As a booking agent, he, along with the dedicated Oaktopia staff, deal with other agents and artists to book the acts that people will want to come out to see. And oftentimes, a certain measure of luck is involved.

“We hope, pray, then ask if they will play the fest,” Pulido said. “And like most things, it always costs more than you think.”

Always growing

A large-scale festival like Oaktopia is an expensive endeavor, and Oaktopia seeks investors, volunteers and donations to make the constantly expanding festival happen.

Edward Sharpe performs at Oaktopia 2015. Ranjani Groth | Contributing Photographer

“It’s very expensive to throw something like this,” Battaglia said.

“People don’t quite realize some of the extra costs, such as fencing, generators, Port-A-Potties, stages, marketing, hospitality - it’s a lot.”

Battaglia said he and Oaktopia are more organized and confident now than they were since the festival’s birth. Oaktopia now has strong structure that is backed by a board of directors, a financial team, a legal team and a public relations team, as well as a solid fan base of devout Denton dwellers.

Oaktopia had its humble beginnings, but Battaglia said he wants it to become even more.

“Every year we take steps up

to try to reach our goal of being a destination festival that people travel to,” Battaglia said.

This year, Battaglia said the festival will have expansions, more local engagement and what he calls “alternative programming.” Things like a fashion show and a video-game tournament along with a barbeque cook off are in the plans.

“This year you’ll be shocked at how much better and bigger it is,” Battaglia said. “And then we’re hoping that someday it’s a festival that all of D-FW is proud to have.

To create those memories for people every year and they’ll just want to come back over and over.”

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 10 RODEO

The family behind the fair and rodeo

By Kayleigh Bywater Senior Staff Writer @kayleighbywater For more than 130 years, the Nor th Texas Fair and Rodeo has ser ved as the largest and longest r unning event in Denton. With events ranging from bull riding and livestock competitions to concer ts and fair games, the fair and rodeo welcomes in more than 175,0 0 0 visitors a year.

At the head of this event is Nanci Kimmey, the Nor th Texas State Fair Association executive assistant. Kimmey, who has been involved with the Fair and Rodeo since the ‘80s, has been a par t of the “fair life” since she was small.

“The fair got into my blood as a young girl,” Kimmey said. “My mother worked at the State Fair of Texas. I used to have that whole place as my playground. I would watch the actors rehearse in the music hall and ride all the rides over and over. So when I moved to Denton in 1975, it didn’t ta ke long for me to get involved in the Fair and Rodeo.”

Since then, Kimmey has made it from Fair and Rodeo volunteer to being on the Board of Directors of Texas Association of Fairs and Events, the gover ning body of all 20 0-plus fairs in Texas.

This year, the Nor th Texas Fair and Rodeo will be held from Aug. 19 to 27, providing days full of roping, horseback

riding, concer ts and more.

Although the event itself r uns for a little over a week, the planning of the event takes over a year. Kimmey, along with a team of people, star t planning the following year’s fair and rodeo before the cur rent one even star ts.

“It ta kes a lot of small details to create the bigger picture,” Kimmey said. “We do as much as we can as quick as we can, but there are so many last minute things that we have to ta ke in to account to ma ke sure all the puzzle pieces come together.”

Many different events ma ke up the Nor th Texas Fair and Rodeo in order for it to appeal to ever y person and family.

What got the show star ted in the first place over 130

North Texas Fair & Rodeo Facebook. Contribution

years ago, the rodeo, happens ever y day of the fair. The fair has rodeo events that include bull riding to a 21-and-under rodeo show. In addition, local ranches compete against each other during events to receive “bragging rights” while also lear ning from fellow ranchers.

Tom Shaw, who is cur rently on the rodeo committee, has been involved in the rodeo since the ‘60s. He said that although some people may be wear y of the traditional sense of a “rodeo,” one of the fair’s main goals is to make sure all the animals are safe and that all the guests are having a great time.

“The biggest draw really is the competition. This is a good old family show where people cannot only

get enter tained but educated, too,” Shaw said. “Some people may think because of what they’ve seen on TV or in the movies that the animals may not be handled properly or fed anything. But I can assure you; they’re fat, happy and taken care of. And the folks handling them are ready to put on a show.”

For those who may not be as drawn to the rodeo, however, the fair hosts car nival events, perfor mances and attractions so that ever yone can find something. Kimmey, who helps line up various acts and perfor mers, said that since this is an event for ever yone, she wants to make sure ever yone has something they would love.

Bands, such as Josh Abbott Band, Steve War nier and the Randy Rogers band, will be filling up the concer t calendar during the nine days of the Fair and Rodeo.

In addition, Loop Rawlins of America’s Got Talent will be perfor ming gun slinging and rope swinging acts and the Bengal Tiger Experience will be exhibiting rare tigers.

“We do all this so the people of Denton have a place to come and have fun with their families,” said Cheyanne Bullock, a volunteer and Texas Tech agricultural leadership and education senior. “If you like countr y music or you don’t, if you want to see a rodeo or just want to see your friends, there’s something for ever yone and we get to do it all while doing our par t in preser ving our Wester n heritage.”

Besides the enter tainment,

however, Kimmey said she also strives to get people to lear n about the histor y of the fair and rodeo that takes place in the city. While many people go to the fair and rodeo to have a good time, she also wants to educate people about where they star ted and where they are at now.

Kimmey recently released a book alongside Dr. Georgia Caraway, titled “Nor th Texas State Fair and Rodeo,” to help Dentonites see how impactful the fair and rodeo has been in the city’s histor y.

“We wanted to create something that was infor mative but enter taining,” Kimmey said. “It really showcases what this event is about because for over 130 years, the city has gotten together to celebrate this historical event. Now, people have the histor y of this event in front of them.”

With the event two weeks away, Kimmey said the planning is kicking into gear to get last minute details situated. Even though she hopes the attendees will enjoy the acts and shows, she said she also hopes to provide unique memories and family time.

“It’s impor tant that we are a family-oriented event because, really, the fair and rodeo itself is a family,” Kimmey said. “My daughter is a second generation volunteer and I met my husband here.

I’ve watched people I grew up with experiencing this event with their own kids. It’s in my blood, and I just hope I can bring my love for the fair and rodeo into each and ever y attendees’ hear t.”

COMEDY

Success of inaugural comedy festival set high hopes for the future

By Kayleigh Bywater Senior Staff Writer @kayleighbywater Although J&J’s Pizza usually serves up slices of pizza on Friday and Saturday nights, they spent this past weekend serving up entertainment instead.

While the restaurant is usually full of foodies enjoying a slice, the Old Dirty Basement of J&J’s was full of hundreds of guests waiting to laugh, joke and celebrate Denton’s comedy scene.

The inaugural Denton Comedy Festival welcomed local comedians and comedy lovers from all over the area to kick off Denton’s first comedy-only festival. Behind the idea was RJ Avery, a Denton local, a real estate broker and comedy fan.

Avery doesn’t perform stand-up, but he said he wanted to provide a medium where performers and fans could come together.

“I grew up listening to stand ups at such a young age,” Avery said. “Instead of coming home from work and watching Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, I watch stand up.”

Avery originally had the idea to start a monthly comedy night at J&J’s Pizza but wanted to do something different than the open-mic nights held all over Denton. When he mentioned the idea to create a festival, he said he was immediately approached.

“I really just put it out there and before I knew it, I was approached by people who wanted to help and people who wanted in,” Avery said. “These comedians see the same faces every time they perform, so this was an opportunity to perform for a whole new crowd.”

Avery said it was as easy as buying the domain name and getting the word out, with planning only taking three months. He wanted to bring Denton’s comedic community to light, but he received negative comments geared toward how he was running the comedy show.

Unlike bigger Denton festivals, Avery said he wanted this to be an intimate celebration of everything comedy brings to

peoples’ lives, not a wide-scale event.

“There were rumors that we weren’t planning the event right, or that we were just being sort of lazy about it, but honestly, it’s a comedy festival. I haven’t planned one before, and we were all just learning,” Avery said. “I guess we had just thought of something special, and it intimidated those who hadn’t thought of it already.”

The event, which started out Thursday at Killer’s Tacos and ended Saturday night at J&J’s, exceeded Avery’s expectations.

Even though it was tough, Avery said they even had to turn people away because there was no room left in J&J’s basement.

Denton comedian and English senior Angel Garcia, who holds comedy house shows, also known as Comedy Guerilla shows, has been a supporter of the Denton Comedy Festival since day No. 1.

Although he was excited for the event, he said the turnout was not expected.

“We sold out four shows,” Garcia said. “People [really got] to see how funny Denton is. [Comedy] is kind of insane.

You’re going to a show where one person stands in front of you. It’s super vulnerable [and] personal, and it has the power to change perspectives and opinions.”

One of the headliners, comedian Carey Denise, performed Saturday night at J&J’s. Denise has performed stand-up all over the country, but wanted to be a part of this historic event in Denton’s comedy scene.

Denise started performing comedy when she was 25 and said that even though she has performed in many different places, there was something about the Denton Comedy Festival that really attracted her.

“Denton’s always had a cool music and arts scene,” Denise said. “But the comedy scene has always been kind of small.

You can listen to the same song over and over or watch the same movie again and again, but comedy is about the spontaneity of one person. I think it just got to a point where we felt it was just really needed.”

With the success of this festival, Avery, along with Denise and others, are already prepping for next year’s festival.

The festival, which will be called Denton Comedy Festival 1.5, will be held next May. The original mastermind behind the event, however, will be taking more of a back seat in the planning.

Avery will still be involved in the planning, but he said he wants the comedians to take the reigns for the next year. As a single father with a full-time job, Avery wants to make sure that the festival is in the hands of the comedians rather than a fan.

“I feel so lucky that the community in Denton were so accepting of this idea,” Avery said. “But I want to make it more of a comedian’s comedy festival.

I’m extremely excited, though to see how far we will come the next time around. Comedy is such a unique form of expression, and I’m just glad we were able to share it with people all over Denton.”

Angel Garcia, comedian English Senior, attended the festival with an unexpected turnout. Ranjani Groth | Contributing Photographer

Comedian Dan Danzy performs at Mable Peabody’s for an Orlando shooting benefit. He also cohosted the Denton Comedy estival. Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor

OPINION PAGE 11

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

LETTER

A final letter from the editor as summer ends

By Harrison Long Editor-in-Chief @HarrisonGLong

The long, hot summer Three short months ago, I took the position of editor-inchief of the North Texas Daily.

The journey has been more arduous and challenging than I could have ever imagined at the onset, but I have found that the most rewarding experiences often are.

I began as a staff writer for this paper in February 2015, and have remained a part in some capacity in the time that has followed. The individuals I’ve encountered, both inside

and out of the newsroom, defied expectation. I have made lifelong friends, ruffled the feathers of newfound rivals and irritated local citizens with pervasive “liberal trash bag” editorials and columns. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In this past year, this newspaper has once again proven to its student body that it is a viable source of information and represents its readership to the best of its ability. Though the summertime is slow, and resources often less available than that of the fall or spring terms, we have had our fair share of heavy-hitting content since our first issue: systemic abuse by landlords all around the Denton community, the fallout post-passage of the Renewable Denton energy plan, and, in this very issue, stories regarding campus carry and prostitution inside of Kerr Hall.

We’ve been busy, despite what any of the naysayers, nitpickers and general malcontents have

to say on the issue. I am proud of those with whom I work, and hope to continue in some capacity through college and beyond.

The state of the paper

I’ve been a part of this paper for 18 months, and in that time there is one lesson that rings true above all others, and has been made abundantly clear in my time as leader: there is no reason that this paper cannot work to the advantage of all that contribute to it.

The modus operandi I have attempted to instill into the culture of this organization in my time at the helm is that, as students, we are at a midway point between the comfort and idealism of our younger days and the harsher, less-forgiving world of the post-grad. It is a time to grow from mistakes and establish relationships that will span beyond graduation.

While it is essential to

future success to take one’s time at university seriously, it is all the more important to realize that no one profits from the downfall of another.

Your success is not dependent on the dismemberment of your peers, whether they be less experienced, equal to, or greater than you in terms of ability. To burn bridges in an effort to get ahead will only hurt you in the long run – this concept applies to those within your own organization, and those you will encounter in other fields. Being a jerk will inevitably get you nowhere.

I am confident that I am leaving this paper in what I believe is a prime position for future growth. Engagement is up, content is pertinent and timely, and staffers are energized. Where the Daily goes from here will be dependent on whether the organization is primed to only showcase the efforts of a few, and fall into ruin once those

“sacred” individuals are gone, or if it fosters an environment where all grow together, and the skills learned in class are put into practice without the fear of failure. I urge all to remember, in this time, not to take themselves too seriously.

Students need to realize their power

This paper, being representative of its students, must hear them when they lend their voice. I would encourage all students, young and old, traditional and not, to let their perspectives be known. You can submit a letter to the editor, you can encourage coverage of issues you feel have been swept under the rug. Incoming journalism students: know that it is entirely possible for you to be published within the column inches of this publication.

Dedicate your time and effort to crafting something of substance – something you can be proud

of, and send it in. Work with your professors, and ask them for tips and tricks of the trade.

Slash – the weekly meeting to discuss the final outcome of the paper – takes place in GAB 114 every Friday at 3 p.m. Even if you have nothing to say, show up and get familiar with how we operate. This meeting is open to all students and faculty, and is the greatest opportunity you have to see who is writing what. Who knows? You might very well see your byline at the top of the page sooner than you ever thought possible.

To conclude, as my time on the editorial side of this publication comes to a close, I’d like to offer a sincere thank you to the readership who has kept up with the happenings of the Daily all this time. You don’t get to 100 years through anything less than prolonged, measurable effort, and I’m proud to be associated with such. Here is to the next 100 years – cheers.

GUEST

Letter: China’s forgotten genocide, and how to stop it Falun Gong – such a foreign sounding word might seem irrelevant to those of us living in the United States, and it may thus be difficult realize that the unspeakable horrors perpetrated against its practitioners in China have very real consequences on those of us this side of the world.

It is almost unfathomable to imply that a government of any country in the world would be not only complicit, but sanction the ripping of internal organs out of the bodies of its own citizens for profit, for merely striving to live by the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance, the main tenets of their faith. Falun Gong is a system for selfimprovement in the Buddhist school, but surely any major religion on Earth is able to relate to and treasure the universal principles listed above.

These values transcend all boundaries

and have been part of all of humanity for eons.

In 1999, Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, ordered that the “reputations” of Falun Gong adherents be “defamed”, “bankrupting them financially” and “destroying them physically.” This resulting crimes against humanity is absolutely ghoulish and macabre and yet it continues in China 17 years later.

In 2006, allegations began to surface that China’s lucrative organ transplant industry was being supplied with the organs of Falun Gong practitioners -- the largest group of prisoners of conscience in China today. Since then, much analysis and investigation, corroborated by witness testimony, has led to the publication of several books which state that Falun Gong practitioners have been killed for their

organs to later be harvested.

“Bloody Harvest: Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China in 2009,” “State Organs: Transplant Abuse in China in 2012,” and “The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting, and China’s Secret Solution to Its Dissident Problem in 2014” are all documentaries available on major video sharing websites that showcase these crimes against humanity, and are perfect for exposing the issue to those not yet familiar with such. The latest report, published on June 22, 2016, said that the number of slaughtered practitioners may be much higher than reported earlier, which was already in the tens of thousands.

People from around the world, including some of our own citizens, utilize this black market to find quick access to organs that might take

years to allocate under more ethical conditions. The victims are often put into a database and selected based on their ability to match with a paying client.

But there is hope in curbing this atrocious practice: The United States House of Representatives passed Resolution 343 without objection on the evening of June 13, 2016, which openly acknowledged and then condemned the practice. The resolution calls China’s communist regime to immediately stop forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience. This resolution will not only expose this foul practice, but will aid in helping our doctors, patients, and hospitals make informed decisions, and thus avoid becoming accessories to the heinous crime of forced organ harvesting without prior knowledge.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the 185 members of US Congress in a show of strong bipartisan support and the 13 members representing Texas who co-sponsored the Resolution.

While the resolution that passed is an important step, much more must be done.

I encourage the readers of this letter to visit www. stoporganharvesting.org , share the web site with family and friends and sign the on-line petition and contact your elected officials representing you in Congress. We will all want to stand on the right side of history!

By Juha Jussila Dallas, Texas

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

RELATIONSHIPS

Feminism is more important than ever

Don’t insult women because of rejection

By Morgan Sullivan Staff Writer @sadsquadch Feminism. It’s a terrifying 8-letter word that’s causing a huge divide in our social structure. It must truly be a radical thought that a woman is anything more than what you want her for: breeding and house chores.

The Webster definition of feminism reads: “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” In what world should it be a radical belief that people are created equal? Women aren’t asking to take over the country; we’re simply asking to be treated fairly. In this simplistic definition, if you don’t call yourself a feminist, you might want to reevaluate your ethics.

On top of that, feminism isn’t just for women. You heard me. Feminism extends to so many more people than the strict boundary classifying women.

Although the movement began as a way to combat the patriarchy, modern feminism fights against what some call “the kyriarchy.”

Kyriarchy is defined as a social system built around domination, oppression and submission. Many people are starting to use this word to describe what feminism is fighting against because the problems aren’t so black-and-white anymore. Modern day feminism fights for women of all colors and nationalities. It fights for non-binary people and even men.

Feminists are some of the only allies that male rape and sexual assault victims have.

Modern feminism is an inclusive movement focused on making people’s lives better – regardless of what you look like.

Sure, things are better than they were decades ago. Women have the right to vote. There are women CEOs, and we might even have a woman president.

However, the movement didn’t die when women gained the right to vote.

There are so many issues, even today, that feminism is still fighting against.

In the land of the free, people should feel safe walking along the street, or at a bar or party. The sad fact is that a majority of people don’t feel safe in these situations. Girls are often mocked for going to the bathroom in pairs, but it’s been embedded into our mindset that we’re safer with a friend.

We shouldn’t need someone we trust to watch our drink when we leave the room, or ask a male friend to walk us home. Friends shouldn’t have to be assigned to sustain our safety.

Imagine living in constant fear that you might be attacked on your way home, for no reason other than your womanhood. From a young age, women begin strategizing their every move. You plan to go certain places because you feel safe there. You tell your friends where you are, just in case. You learn how to defend yourself, because one day, you might have to.

Many women fear rejecting men because of how they might react. It’s ridiculous that in 2016, women fear telling a man “no” and being harmed for it. There are too many instances that have built up and instilled this fear. A woman can be raped, sexually assaulted or killed for denying a man’s advances.

There’s also the fact that women are still underpaid for doing the same job as men. However, this is still so ridiculous of a notion let’s not even dwell on it. Seriously, just pay us the same amount.

One of feminism’s biggest fights is against stereotypes; particularly the idea that women must be feminine and males should be masculine. Feminism fights against this ridiculous idea. Men can cry, and women can have armpit hair. People shouldn’t be expected to be anything. What’s so unique about people is that we are all so different.

The same feminism that fought for women to wear skirts above the ankles and for our right to wear pants

is fighting against the stereotypes of today. Let people wear what they want.

It’s a woman’s right to wear the least (or most) amount of clothing that she wants. Clothes don’t make you a bad person. Your actions do.

In a world where over half of the population is female, women are still underrepresented. Take the Bechdel test for example. You’d think it would be easy in 2016 to find a movie that would pass this simple test. There are only three requirements: a minimum of two women, they have to talk to each other and that the conversation must be about something other than men.

However, many movies don’t pass this simple test. Pop culture doesn’t see women as anything else but objects. If women solely continue to be portrayed as pairs of boobs, they will be treated as such. Young girls shouldn’t see women portrayed in that manner, or they’ll lose hope that they can achieve their dreams.

Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy’s recent reboot of “Ghostbusters” is a perfect example of flipping gender norms and on-screen representation.

The biggest complaint about the movie is that it’s flocked with women – and the men in the movie are useless. Once tables are turned, men don’t like the way they’re represented. Try dealing with it in nearly everything you see.

You’d start a movement to change it, too.

Perhaps the most important thing about feminism is that it’s global. In America, we take it for granted. While we have issues, but we can openly speak out against them. This isn’t the case everywhere else. If oppression of women was a problem in only one country, you could make a case for not being a feminist. However, with people all over the world joining together in this cause, you would be dumb to stand in their way. Because once again, feminism is for everyone. Not just women.

By Victoria Baghaei Staff Writer @chorizotacoss Women face several types of social issues in everyday life. It’s assumed that we’re going to comply with every compliment imaginable.

That we must be walking alone because we are looking for some company, or possibly a new date.

On the contrary, that’s usually not the case, especially if that woman you target has made zero eye contact with you and harbors no will to speak to you.

Imagine you’ve had a rough day and want to be alone, so you go outside and play Pokémon Go. You’re likely going to a highly populated area because it’s safer to walk alone there, especially because people approach us women constantly. Once you arrive, you’re relieved and take a nice walk to cool you down from the overwhelming day.

Somehow to certain male eyes, a woman walking alone is an invitation to f lirtation and that she must definitely want to talk to them because she’s alone.

“Well, you’re wrong. I don’t want to talk to you.” This is immediately the thought that goes through every woman’s head in this vital predicament.

Now comes that stranger looking for a female companion. You’re expecting it because, most likely, they’ve attempted to make eye contact despite your efforts to do otherwise. However, they still try because it’s silly for me to expect men to understand my body language, which screams “Please, no, don’t talk to me!”

Therefore, you’re not really excited to speak to them since you crave time to yourself. But of course, you acquiesce to be nice and answer them. In turn, the man asks you a lot of personal inquiries, repeatedly complimenting random aspects of you prior to popping the question: “Can we exchange

numbers?” It doesn’t feel like he’s looking for a friendship regarding those special compliments, nor are you looking for a relationship in that moment. In fact, you could already be in one.

Now, it’s time to speak the words - “I’m not interested” - that could possibly madden the gentleman.

It’s the moment that determines if I’m rude or not. Because after not giving this nice young man his “time of day,” I’ve become the villain in his eyes.

Sometimes men react in a respectful way, you get lucky and don’t have to deal with the potential uncomfortable nature of rejecting someone. That’s not what usually happens though.

Chances dictate that more than one of those times, women are slandered because they declined your offer, even though you were nice. Women will leave the place we wanted to spend time at just to avoid running into a guy again after such an awkward exchange.

So here’s some advice for all you “nice” guys out there: Just because you are nice does not mean you are entitled to become a part of my life. It doesn’t mean I have to give you my phone number. Don’t start insulting us to our faces or to your friends, because it’s not fair that a nice girl had to deal with someone trying to get in their pants for 10 minutes. Your niceness doesn’t mean you’re entitled, even if your intentions are good.

If you are truly looking to be someone’s friend, then go for it.

It doesn’t mean you can’t talk to anyone cordially. But please make sure that your intentions are clear and you aren’t bothering someone that clearly desires alone-time.

Learn social cues; they’re important if you’re going to be approaching random women.

Whenever your intentions are genuine, we will most likely know.

Therefore, if you would like to approach a woman with high hopes of a relationship in the future, be sure to have her best intentions put before yours.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 12 EDITORIAL

Facts first, opinions later: media literacy works for everyone Editorial Board @ntdaily O n l i n e j ou r n a l i sm, i n t h e p ol it ic a l ly p ola r i z e d wo rld i n wh ich we l ive, h a s it s e qu a l sh a r e of p r o s a nd c on s. O n t h e p o sit ive sid e, it’s a wond e r f u l way t o c i r cu la t e n ews si n c e p r i nt n ewsp a p e r s h ave d e cl i n e d.

T h e d aw n of s o c ia l n et wo r k i ng sup e r s e d e d t h e c a su a l r e a d e r’s n e c e ssit y fo r p r i nt, a nd t h e i nt e r n et h a s b e c om e t h e p e r fe c t pla t fo r m t o r e c eive i n st a nt a n e ou s p r e s s on you r fe e d ¬ w it hout t h e h a ssle of sub s c r ibi ng t o d a i ly p a p e r s, p ay wa l l s no t w it h st a nd i ng.

I n c ont r a st, t h e s e ef fe c t s d o mo r e h a r m t h a n go o d wh en it c om e s t o r e c eiv i ng su ch n ews.

I n st e a d of p r o p e rly p r o c e s si ng Fa c eb o ok o r Tw it t e r ¬ c i r cu la t e d n ews, a nd d oi ng mo r e r e s e a r ch t o c on f i r m wh a t on e r e a d i lyava i la ble web p a ge r e p o r t s, it a p p e a r s t h a t m a ny web ent hu sia st s t a ke t h i s n ews a s go sp el, of t en b e c a u s e t h ey a g r e e w it h t h e s ent i m ent s b ei ng r e p o r t e d. I n t u r n, t h ey f r e ely d i sr ega r d o t h e r r e p o r t s t h a t c ont r a d ic t wh a t t h ey b el ieve (even f r om mo r e c r e d ible s ou r c e s) a nd r em a i n ig no r a nt t o up d a t e d c ove r a ge.

I n sho r t, c og n it ive d i s s on a n c e h a s gon e m a i n st r e a m.

I n t h e fa c e of t h i s g r ow i ng p a nd em ic, t h e n e c e s sit y fo r i nd iv idu a l s t o b e c om e m e d ia l it e r a t e h a s b e c om e a l l t h e mo r e a p p a r ent. Ac c o r d i ng t o t h e A sp en Me d ia L it e r a cy L e a d e r sh ip

I n st it ut e, it i s “ t h e a bi l it y t o a c c e s s, a n a lyz e, eva lu a t e a nd c r e a t e m e d ia i n a va r iet y of fo r m s.” I n lay m a n’s t e r m s, it’s ba sic a l ly t h e a bi l it y t o r e c og n i z e t h e r ole t h a t t h e m e d ia plays i n 21st c ent u r y a r t a nd t e ch nolog y, a nd d et e r m i n e wh a t i s t r u e o r fa l s e t h r oug h ba sic, c on si st ent p a r a m et e r s.

Me d ia l it e r a cy i s i m p o r t a nt t o b e p r iv y t o b e c a u s e of how mu ch sit e s l i ke Bu z z Fe e d h ave ch a nge d t h e c ou r s e of web n ews.

A s a m a t t e r of fa c t, eve r y t h i ng on l i n e j ou r n a l i sm d o e s w r ong i s o st en sibly wh a t Bu z z Fe e d sy mb ol i z e s. Fo r i n st a nc e, t h e c om p a ny’s h ig h e st t r a f f ic i s ga i n e d by c r e a t i ng c ont ent fo r s o c ia l m e d ia, wh ich expla i n s why t h ei r Fa c eb o ok r e put a t ion h a s sk y r o cket e d i n t h e p a st few ye a r s.

T h ey b oi l d ow n b r e a k i ng n ews i nt o “l i st icle s” t o b e e a si ly d ige st e d by cubicle wo r ke r s a nd you ng a du lt s t h a t b r ief ly a l lev ia t e t h em s elve s f r om l i fe’s t e d iou sn e s s. T h e r efo r e, it’s e a sy fo r t h em t o p r o c e s s t h i s sho r t a t t ent ion sp a n r e p o r t i ng a nd t r u st it - even t houg h t h e c om p a ny’s a c cu s a t ion s of pla g ia r i sm a nd c o py r ig ht i n f r i ngem ent h ave r e c ent ly b e c om e mo r e a p p a r ent.

No t mu ch of a su r p r i s e fo r such a qu ick, “c o py- ¬ a nd- ¬ p a st e” st yle of bu si n e s s.

O n c e t h e c onc e pt of m e d ia l it e r a cy h a s b e en g r a sp e d, a nd i nd iv idu a l s h ave b eg u n d ig g i ng d e e p e r i nt o t h e n ews t o f i nd t h e fa c t s fo r t h em s elve s, ¬ it’s

GOP NOMINEE

Trump’s latest failure represents his end

By Preston Mitchell Opinion Editor @presto_mitch Last week’s Democratic Convention was bound to spark controversy, but ironically enough, the biggest also happened to transcend multiple parties thanks to Donald Trump.

On Monday, after criticizing the Muslim parents of a slain soldier, the infamous bigot appealed to our very own Congress to gain support in this feud. While the bullying has come as a shock to many, even the most vocal Trump haters, his disrespect of this family has occurred since last December.

Enter Khizr Khan, the father of the soldier, who was one of the first Muslims to publicly speak against Trump after he called for a ban on Islamic immigrants.

“It’s the values [of America] that brought us here, not our religion,” Khan stated in an interview.

“Trump’s position on these issues do not represent those values.”

Khan’s son, Humayun, was killed in 2004 after walking towards an explosive vehicle, sacrificing his life to save his unit in Iraq. “Those 10 steps told us we did not make [a] mistake in moving to this country. These were the values we wanted to adopt. Not religious values, human values,” his father said.

Khan was last seen on the final night of the DNC to honor his son and their community. He claimed that if it was up to Trump, his son wouldn’t have been able to save his fellow Americans. In turn, Trump used an ABC interview for his rebuttal: “I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard.” He went on to criticize Khan’s wife, asserting that she had to stay silent during her husband’s speech. Later that night, Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, made a brief statement on their behalf:

b e c om e s a p p a r ent how f lawe d s o c ia l n et wo r k- ba s e d r e p o r t i ng i s. O ve r a ye a r a go, Pew Re s e a r ch c onduc t e d a st udy t o p o st u la t e t h e mo st t r u st e d out let s fo r p ol it ic a l n ews. T h e t o p f ive we r e C N N, A BC, N BC, C BS a nd F OX. T h e b ot t om t h r e e i nclud e d Bu z z Fe e d, wh e r e a s t h e Fox¬ - ba s e d p r og r a m s of S e a n H a n n it y, Glen n Be ck a nd Bi l l O’Rei l ly we r e on ly a few not ch e s a b ove it.

But t h i s shou ld not b e t a ken a s “a l l on l i n e s ou r c e s a r e ba d.” T h e a fo r em ent ion e d t o p f ive c e r t a i n ly em ploy web sit e s t o d i st r ibut e t h ei r n ews, e sp e c ia l ly si nc e le s s p e o ple u s e c a ble r ig ht now, a nd m a ny du ly- t r u st e d out let s ut i l i z e t h i s fe a t u r e. T h e p r oblem l ie s i n t h e u n r eg u la t e d exp e d ienc e t h a t i nt e r n et m e d ia p r ov id e s a nd t h e c om fo r t i nd iv idu a l s fe el i n sh a r i ng i n fo r m a t ion t h a t shou ld not b e t r u st e d on a g r e em ent a lon e.

It w i l l g r e a t ly b en ef it on e’s d a i ly wa t e r- c o ole r d i s cu s sion s t o k now a l l t h e fa c t s b efo r e r e s o r t i ng t o u n m it iga t e d blu st e r.

I n r e a l it y, t h e wo r d “m e d ia” do esn’t not ap ply It is nom enclat u r e t h a t ext end s i nt o t elev i sion, f i l m, mu sic a nd l it e r a t u r e. I f you h ave l ib e r a l le a n i ngs a nd a r e a ble t o b e ent e r t a i n e d by M ich a el Bay’s “13 Hou r s,” d e spit e it s c on s e r va t ive a gend a, t h a t sp e a k s a lot a b out you r level of awa r en e s s. I f you c a n l i st en t o E m i n em w it hout mu r d e r i ng you r w i fe, it shows how i nd e p end ent you r m i nd wo r k s. I f you c a n r e a d “ T h e Aut obiog r a phy

“Donald Trump and I believe that Captain Humayun Khan is an American hero and his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American.”

The statements of these politicians don’t just contradict each other, but also illustrate that Trump’s era is beginning to end.

Not only has his candidacy been predicated on racism, sexism and disgusting prejudices, but his pestering of an American family is the final nail in the coffin that is the contemporary Republican Party. While Republicans and Democrats are equally necessary - we are touted as a democratic republic after all - Trump’s party members have begun to speak in favor of the Khans. And for the better.

Even John McCain, a POW during the Vietnam War, issued a scathing critique: “While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.” McCain has joined the likes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the realm of politicians who venerate Humayun Khan’s

of Ma lc ol m X ” w it hout b r i ng i ng c iv i l r ig ht s a nge r i nt o t h e wo r k pla c e, it sp e a k s a lot a b out you r s en s e of r e sp e c t.

T h i s i s why t r u st i ng you r s el f t o fol low t h e fa c t s i s i m p e r a t ive.

Eve r y t h i ng that the m e d ia pu r p o r t s ¬ o r i n t h e c a s e of G awke r, r eg u rg it a t e s,¬ i s on ly t i m ely a t t h e mom ent. Si nc e n ews

i s a lways ch a ng i ng, p r e ¬ ex i st i ng fa c t s w i l l a lways fol low su it. So ple a s e, d o you r r e s e a r ch b efo r e f i n a l i z i ng you r o pi n ion. I f not, shu n n i ng m e d ia l it e r a cy i s pu r ely d i si ngenuou s.

Sam Wiggins| Staff Illustrator

heroism.

This is all important to note because we live in an age of progressiveness. Our generation is finally mature enough to be unshaped by the Islamophobia of beforehand.

Plus, our technological advancements have reached a point where we have more information at our disposal than we know how to deal with.

For these reasons, history

will not allow Donald Trump to be our next President. He’s a living, breathing embodiment of a bygone time where ignorance was acceptable. Not just prejudicial ignorance, but a failure to understand how the current world operates, which explains his unlawful suggestion to hack Hillary’s emails.

What once started off as something of a joke - the initial

idea of President Trump - has now become a sad decision backfiring on the Republican Party. Trump’s latest failure only backs up this fact. Therefore, if we really believe in American values like the Khans, it’s our civic duty to block Trump from the White House this November.

It’s only a matter of time before his antics are over.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks a in Dallas Sep. 14, 2015. (Nathan Hunsinger | The Dallas Morning News)

“Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek…”

And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude, and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there’s one on hand...and his name is Shrek.

October 21-30, 2016 Book by David Lindsay-Abaire Music by Jeanine Tesori Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire Based on DreamWorks Animation

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm | Sundays at 2:00 pm

Campus Theatre 214 W. Hickory Street in Historic Downtown Denton For tickets and information 940-382-1915

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