SPEAK MAGAZINE
YOGA + MEDITATION
SEARCHING for your CENTER Great raft brewery Check out one of the breweries at the head of Shreveport’s craft beer renaissance
“She’s Pretty For A Black Girl” What are racial micro-aggressions and how can students overcome them?
The CHIEF & The Hounds Take a look into the lives of one of NELA’s hottest bands
SURVIVING KATRINA Read about the struggles endured by the 2005 Green Wave football team
fall / winter 2015 | louisiana tech university
Contents 14
10 21 34
30
FEATURES
ARTS+Culture
FOOD+DRINK
4 | Chief & The Hounds Take a look into the lives of one of Northeast Louisiana’s hottest bands.
14 | Gaining Ground Through Grains Check out one of the breweries at the head of Shreveport’s craft beer renaissance.
8 | Rehashed & Remade Hollywood continues to churn out unoriginal properties. Is there any way to stop the remake machine?
18 | A Taste Of Mexico Are you in search of authentic Mexican cuisine? Well, look no further than the small yellow building on Georgia avenue.
10 | Searching For Your Center Our writer shows you some tips and strategies for you to take part in your own spiritual journey. 13 | How To Go Green At Tech Looking for ways to live green on a budget? We’ve got you covered.
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FASHION 21 | What Do Your Jeans Say About You? Ever wondered what type of jeans would work best on you? Check out our guide to the different fits in style right now.
26 | The Art Of Larping If you thought sword fighting was a thing of the past, you couldn’t have been more wrong. These guys take “role-playing” to the extreme. 30 | A Green Wave Arose Ten years ago, one of the worst natural disasters of all time hit Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. Read about the struggles endured by the 2005 Green Wave football team. 34 | “She’s Pretty For A Black Girl” What are racial micro-aggressions and how can students overcome them? 38 | Trump vs. Sanders The upcoming presidential election has some of the most polarizing candidates ever. Learn about the two black sheep of the 2016 election here.
From the Editor
I
“
t’s so boring around here.” Everyone who moves to Ruston hears these words at some point. Live here for a few months and you couldn’t be blamed for thinking there isn’t anything to do in this entire half of the state. I have been guilty of thinking this as well. Many times I’ve visited larger cities and noted the contrast between them and Ruston. As I write more and more about this region, however, I realize a lot of gems are hidden around here. We explore that in this issue. We look at restaurants, breweries, spirituality, concerts, refugees and people hitting each other with swords in Cooktown Park. Do not tell me a place where people hit each other with swords is boring. Okay, they may not be real swords, but the point remains. I am an unabashed city person. I love the skyscrapers and the fact that things are open 24/7, and, in the case of New Orleans, I love the Lucky Dog carts. I understand the propensity of many people to disregard small town life, but Ruston is not that small. Grow up in a town of 5,000 and then talk to me about small-town life. Too often, we fall into the mindset that bigger is better, that just because a town has a population under 50,000 there isn’t anything to do. Very rarely is that the case. It is definitely not the case in Ruston. An hour up the road in Shreveport are award-winning breweries. Downtown there is a thriving music scene and a few blocks down traditional Mexican restaurants. Then there’s the aforementioned people getting into swordfights. I’ll leave the details of that for you to discover inside. Besides the actual activities in town, Ruston has history. A decade ago, the town pulled together to help and house Katrina refugees. Hundreds of those fleeing the worst natural disaster in our state’s history came here, and were given aid. Does this seem like a town that can be fairly called boring? I don’t think so. We worked hard on this issue, to bring you stories on culture, art, and history in the region. We also have cultural stories on national topics and pop culture summaries. From the entire staff, we hope you enjoy your time reading this. I’m excited to share this issue of SPEAK with you, and, remember, if you ever think there’s nothing to do in Ruston, just look around a bit. You’ll be surprised.
SPEAK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John Sadler ASSOCIATE EDITOR Leslie Tumbaco MANAGING EDITOR Ellie Moslander FASHION COORDINATOR Katie Brumfield WRITERS Nick Smith Marcel Medley Ellie Moslander Rachel Maxwell Isabela Palmieri John Sadler PHOTO EDITOR Brian Blakely PHOTOGRAPHERS Ashley Kober Anna Deutschman Colin Fontenot Devin Dronett DESIGNERS Lauren Murchison Aadrise Johnson Breanna Riggins Zach Hannibal Devin Dronett ADVISERS Michael LeBlanc Dr. Reginald Owens Dr. Judith Roberts T. Scott Boatright PRODUCTION MANAGER Michael LeBlanc
@LATechSpeak speakmagazinemedia
JOHN SADLER Editor-in-Chief
©SPEAK Magazine is published quarterly by students in the journalism concentration in the department of communication and media studies at Louisiana Tech University. Views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily express the views of Louisiana Tech University. SPEAK Magazine welcomes letters to the editor. However, we reserve the right not to print anonymous letters. We also ask that each letter be accompanied by a telephone number, address, and classification or title. We will not print the telephone number or address. Direct all letters and inquires to speakmag@gmail.com.
speakmagazinemedia
Louisiana Tech University is committed to the principle of providing the opportunity for learning and development of all qualified citizens without regard to race, sex, religion, color, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status for admission to, participation in, or employment in the programs and activities which the University sponsors or operates. For Title IX information, see University Policy #1445 at http:// www.latech.edu/administration/ policies-and-procedures/1445.shtm.
Fall/WINTER 2015 | 3
From+the Arts Culture Editor
Chief & The Hounds
A look into one of North Louisiana’s finest bands
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From the Editor
words ellie moslander design & photography devin dronett The North Louisiana band Chief and the Hounds embodies an energy of southern hospitality, a passion for music and love for their fans. “Chief and the Hounds is our life, our music is a reflection of every aspect of our lives,” said Caleb Wilts, vocalist and rhythm guitar for the band. “Our goals are to excel and grow into a nationally known band.” After forming in the city of Minden the band has relocated to Ruston, bringing an aspect of the music scene this college town is limited to. The band, originally named Blue Run Road, changed to Chief & the Hounds in 2014. The band describes their music as incorporating alternative rock with blues. Chief and the Hounds consists of members Caleb Wilt, lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Travis Tucker, lead guitar; Jacob Rodgers, bass guitar; and Nick McCullough, drums. The band has experienced a lot of changes since its origins in 2008. In August Chief and the Hounds released a five-song EP “Satellites.” They said the EP does not necessarily represent where the band is heading musically, but it was a learning experience for them and they hope it will open a doors for their career, Rodgers, who plays bass guitar, is not only connected to Ruston musically but also academically, as he is also a marketing student at Louisiana Tech. “The goal is to create a sound that makes people feel a certain way, depending on the song,” Rodgers said. The members are dedicated and passionate about their music, but in this stage of their lives it is not the only thing they are able to focus on. Rodgers said he plans to clean pools until they are able to play shows full time. Trucker, who plays lead guitar, also acknowledges the struggles the band faces as full time musicians with other jobs and obligations.
Fall/WINTER 2015 | 5
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“The only thing I would want to change or improve is the amount of shows that we play,” Tucker said. “It’s hard for us because two of us have full-time jobs on top of the band, but I would like to be able to focus all my time on the band and not have to worry about juggling it with a 60-plus hour/week job.” The band is driven by a motivation to work hard for a great end product. “I love making music because it is an expression of how you feel,” he said. “I like being able to manipulate the sound to make it reciprocate the feeling I am trying to give off.” Along with the good moments the band has experienced, Rodgers addressed the hard issues they have also experienced and that come along with making music. “Sometimes it’s trying to communicate the vision you have in your head for something, sometimes it’s writing the actual structure of the song,” Rodgers said. Wilt, lead vocals/rhythm guitar, describes the band as being extremely passionate about what they do. Wilt describes their music has reflecting a mixture of the band’s blues roots and their own spin on rock and roll. “Original music is always hard to describe; there are so many influences that each member brings to the songwriting process that you could probably label it with a dozen different genres,” Tucker said. Even though collaboration is a big part of the creative process, Tucker points out the challenges that come along with working alongside other people. “The hardest thing about making music is trying to create meaningful music that is actually good,” he said. “Even though every member of the band is extremely talented, it’s hard to use everyone’s ideas or incorporate the different influences into one song. There are probably dozens of riffs, melodies or incomplete songs that will never be heard outside of our own circle. With that being said, the differences in our styles is what makes our music unique and stand out from other people’s original material.” Chief and the Hounds displays a great amount of affection for their music, where they come from, family and friends and life in general. “We just want a comfortable life together, as brothers, putting our souls on the line and for someone to catch a feeling they may have never thought they could feel from our music.” Wilt has resided in Ruston for 24 years, and the town and the people around him,
who he said has helped him grow as a musician, have heavily influenced starting at the age of 12. He recalls when he played his first show with a family friend Dave Hill and the Ruston Road Kings when he was only 13 at Sundown Tavern. “They hid me in the kitchen until it was time for me to go on stage,” Wilt said. “From the moment, that feeling of absolute fear and butterflies to pure excitement, changed my life forever. I knew that somewhere deep inside of me were feelings that I couldn’t communicate before. I found the out for any feeling imaginable. It was like learning how to walk or how to speak, creatively. I found my passion.” This passion and love for music is represented through the band not only by their music itself, but how fans receive them. “The thing I love most about writing music is that one song can be interpreted 100 different ways, tell 100 different stories, and change more lives than we can imagine,” Wilt said. “So I’d have to say that making people happy and taking them to the brightest or even darkest places they’ve been is the most beautiful part of writing.” In August Chief and the Hounds released a five song EP “Satellites.” They said the EP does not necessarily represent where the band is heading musically, but it was a learning experience for them and they hope it will open doors for their career. When discussing future plans, Wilt reiterates the focus they have on their fans and the outlet they are given musically. “Our plans for the future are to release as much music as we can and to promote anything we do,” Wilt said. “Each indi-
vidual listening ear matters and makes a difference and could be the difference. You never know who is listening.” He said the band plans on touring and later branching out into festivals, the goal being at least one person in every state and country hears their music. Along with continuing to make great music, the band will continue to make memories through these experiences. “There are so many great memories I have with these guys, “Wilt said. “They are my brothers through and through.” Wilt recalls numerous memories the band has had such as throwing a huge house party at a friend’s house where they played for around 15 minutes before it was shut down. “There had to be 300 people there,” he said. “It was fun, but also proved to us that we have support. That’s all a musician could ever hope for.” Although the life of a musician is a lot harder than it may seem, each member is musically driven to overcome these obstacles. “Making music is sometimes a struggle,” Wilt said. “There’s so much music out there and sometimes it feels impossible to have an original sound.” He said sometimes they will have as many as seven shows in the span of nine days, and even though it makes it hard to make time for it, this is when the writing and creating turn into something beautiful. “May our dreams become reality and our hometown never be forgotten,” Wilt said.
Fall/WINTER 2015 | 7
Have we run out of new stories to tell? words Leslie Tumbaco Have we run out of stories to tell? From the endless list of films that have been and are in the process of being remade, one might think we have, as we’ve now turned to retelling old ones instead of telling new ones. While the change has been slow, the once trickle of films being remade has become an onslaught. No genre is safe. The historical classic “Ben-Hur,” the clown-fear-inciting horror “It,” the graphic violence of “Scarface” and even the Japanese anime “Ghost in the Shell” will all hit the silver screen in new forms in the next two years, and that’s just a drop in the bucket. Some films, such as “Godzilla,” have had surprising success, but most, including “Carrie,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Robocop,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Fantastic Four,” have been poorly received by critics and audiences alike. This failure can be attributed to a number of possibilities, one such being the simple fact that the original is often better than the remake, and unfortunately, many of the originals were released during the lives of the largest demographic of moviegoers (18-24 year olds and 2539 year olds, according to the Motion Picture Association of America’s 2014 theatrical market statistics). Why retell these stories when so many were already done so brilliantly before? Well, despite the poor reception to many of these films, almost all of them still do well in the box office. 8 | SPEAK magazine
design aADRISE JOHNSON
“Jurassic World,” the unnecessary revival of a film that didn’t need its other two sequels either, smashed records and shot up the list of highest-grossing films of all time (not adjusted for inflation, it ranks third). Of course, this is an exception, but this is also the expectation to most Hollywood executives: people will see these movies because they know the story. Call it excitement to see these familiar tales rehashed or morbid curiosity to see them crash and burn — either way people are willing to pay to see these films. We complain about how unnecessary and/or terrible these remakes are, and yet we continue to shell out the cash to see them in theaters. Hollywood executives may want to give us high quality movies that we enjoy and praise for being groundbreaking, different and new, but it has always been about one thing and one thing only for them: money. And if we’re buying tickets to see these remakes, they are going to continue to make them. These cash-cow commodities are the favorite of Hollywood now but were not always. Go back 20 years, and you will only find one, maybe two remakes, sequels or adaptations in the most popular movies. In 2014, though, of the top 10 highest-grossing films, only one was actually original (Interstellar). And this trend extends even to television with remakes of “Melrose Place,” “Daredevil” and “Rosemary’s
Baby” recently hitting the small screen. How should we feel about this then? What should we do? If we truly want something new, we should be angry at ourselves for providing the audience for these remakes, not at Hollywood for giving us what we appear to want. They just follow the money. Like it or not, we may actually prefer the stories we know over anything new.
upcoming Remakes and Reboots Ben-Hur 2016 Ghostbusters 2016 A Star Is Born 2016 I Know What You Did Last Summer 2016 Scarface 2016 The Magnificent Seven 2016 Ghost in the Shell 2017 Spider-Man 2017 The Mummy 2017 Tomb Raider 2017 It TBA The Birds TBA Dumbo TBA Mary Poppins TBA
robocop, 1987
robocop, 2014
Jurassic park, 1993 Jurassic world, 2015
carrie, 1976
carrie, 2013
teenage mutant niNja turtles, 1990
teenage mutant niNja turtles, 2014
Fall/WINTER 2015 | 9
From the Editor
Cent Searching for your
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From the Editor
ter Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward dog with leg raise)
Finding peace through yoga and meditation words Isabela Palmieri PhotoS brian blakely design Breanna Riggins To be honest, I can’t consider myself a “yogi.” While I would very much like to be referred to as such, I believe it would be unfair to all of the real life yogis out there. If you are like me-from-last-summer and have a yoga knowledge limited to downward dog to child’s pose, meditation is a word rarely used in your vocabulary. It was not in mine either, until I learned how much it could impact my life. A friend shared an article with me about a neuroscientist for Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Sara Lazar, who conducted a study on how meditation affects gray matter. I was first attracted to the study by the scientific facts found from the research. What Lazar found was meditation could slow down, or prevent, the age-related decline in certain parts of the brain. She also found 50-year-old meditators had equal amounts of cortex as 25-year-old meditators. Not only did Lazar see change in others due to meditation, she saw change in herself. Lazar started yoga just as many others did, simply for physical exercise. However, after a couple of weeks, things started changing. “I started noticing that I was calmer and I was better able to handle difficult situations, and indeed, I was feeling more compassionate and open-hearted toward other people and I was better able to see things from other people’s point of view,” Lazar wrote. This really intrigued me, and after some soul searching, I decided I wanted some guidance in my own spiritual journey. Although Lazar’s study was very insightful, I still couldn’t really get the full picture of what meditation was and what it took. Fall/WINTER 2015 | 11
Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
A friend led me to Jan Thibault, a yoga instructor at the Yoga Barn in Ruston. After her two-hour yoga class, Thibault told me about her journey with yoga and meditation. Contradicting what I had always believed to be true, I learned the yoga poses were made to prepare the body for meditation. There are actually eight limbs of yoga, and the physical practice is a way to strengthen the body to be able to sit for long periods of time during meditation. “When you come into full meditation, then you are coming into alignment with your true self. It’s really peaceful, and it’s really joyful,” said Thibault, who is a yoga instructor. The physical practice of yoga and meditation is the constant training for both your body and your mind to quiet themselves and focus on one point, whatever that point may be. “The whole practice of yoga, trying to practice all eight limbs …, makes you more mindful, which (in turn) is meditation,” added Thibault, “Because anytime you are mindful, you are focused. You are aware of what your thoughts are in our physical practice, you are aware of what your body is doing.” The fact that yoga and meditation are about awareness and mindfulness was something I had never given any thought to. “Yoga brings you to realizing that your true self is pure love and pure light, and that’s the bigger part of us, but we are not taught that at school,” Thibault said. Whether you believe we are all made of love and light or just a cluster of atoms, meditation can still impact your life. A person who didn’t initially believe in the power of meditation, and one with a mild case of anxiety, I can testify to its benefits not only physically, but internally, after just one yoga class with Thibault.
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7CHAKRAS
THE
Root Chakra Represents our foundation and feeling of being grounded. Pelvic Chakra Our connection and ability to accept others and new experiences. Navel Chakra Our ability to be confident and in-control of our lives. Heart Chakra Our ability to love. Throat Chakra Our ability to communicate. Third Eye Chakra Our ability to focus on and see the big picture. Crown Chakra The highest Chakra represents our ability to be fully connected spiritually. I left that Tuesday night with a purpose and a peace of mind. While I am very much aware my journey toward full meditation is a work in progress, and one I’m not sure will ever reach its destination, I know the marathon is what will bring me the most learning. And while I may not adopt all of yoga’s beliefs, I know it will make me more mindful and aware of my thoughts, words, and actions toward those around me as well as myself, which in turn will bring me a more peaceful life and mind. Yoga can help me become a person that accepts my body, my mind and my true self. Namaste.
Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
Sirsasana (Headstand)
For the College Conservationist:
HOW TO GO GREEN AT TECH
Environmental issues may not always be at the forefront of every college student’s mind. Between classes, extracurricular activities, work and a social life, even the most put-together collegian can get a little overwhelmed. However, with the on-the-go lifestyle most students adopt comes a lot of wasted energy and resources. With a few simple changes, and knowledge of the resources in Ruston and at Tech, you can take a step in the right direction toward Earth-friendly living.
able cup next time you go for a pick-meup. You will save paper by skipping the disposable cup, and some coffee shops offer discounts if you bring your own. BE MINDFUL OF THE “PHANTOM LOAD” How many phantoms haunt your dorm room? A phantom load is any electronic device that consumes electricity when it is turned off at the power source but is still plugged into an outlet. Do not just turn off devices when you are done; unplug them, or switch to a surge protector that you can turn off when your gadgets aren’t in use. For the busy or forgetful student, Bits, Ltd, offers a SmartStrip ($25.75) that monitors energy consumption and shuts off unused appliances to stop the “vampire current” from wasting energy.
DRINK RESPONSIBLY Adopt a greener strategy for your water consumption by saying goodbye to disposable water bottles. If you just cannot stand the tap water in Ruston, invest in a filtered-water dispenser or pitcher to make tap water taste just like the bottled water you’re used to. This one-time buy is a lot easier to carry up to a dorm than a weekly case of water bottles, plus many of the filters and products are easily recyclable through the manufacturer once you are done with them. If you are an avid coffee-drinker, bring your own reus-
LOOK AT THE LABEL Look for certain seals and labels on products before you buy; knowing where your food or furniture came from is a big part of living an eco-friendly life. A seal from the Rainforest Alliance ensures that the product comes from a farm or company that does not contribute to deforestation. An energy star-labeled appliance promises to use 75 percent less energy without performance loss from its less efficient counterpart. A Green Seal ensures that the product’s life cycle is as environmentally friendly as possible. Do your research before going grocery shopping to make sure you know where the products you put your money into are coming from.
KEEP IT COOL Whether you use the in-dorm washer and dryer or you take your clothes to a selfserve laundry business, wash every load you can with cold water. Ninety percent of the energy used to wash clothes comes
from heating the water, so setting the washing machine to cold can make a drastic difference. Cutting down on wash cycles can save a lot of water as well. Wait until you have a full load before heading to the laundry room, and always match the water level to the amount of clothes you are washing. Bonus points if you hang-dry your clothes after washing.
BACK TO THE BASICS Recycling is one of the most important parts of living Earth-friendly. While this is hardly groundbreaking news, many college students skip the bins and dropoffs because it seems to be too much of a hassle for college life. However, Tech and Ruston are moving toward making it easier for students. Tech’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers hosts regular recycling drives in Centennial Plaza, where they collect paper, plastic and aluminum. The city of Ruston plans to begin curbside recycling pickup in 2016, so students can look forward to a simpler process. For now, a list of businesses that accept recyclables can be found at www.ruston.org/recycling.
Words Rachel Maxwell design Zach Hannibal Fall/WINTER 2015 | 13
Food + Drink
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Shreveport’s Great Raft aspires to put North Louisiana breweries on the map words john sadler
PhotoS devin dronett
In a 2014 Brewers’ Association poll, Louisiana ranked 42nd in the country for the number of craft breweries with 15 total. Two years before, the state stood at a paltry eight breweries. While Louisiana is still far behind states like California and Washington, with 431 and 256 craft breweries respectively, local brewhouses like Great Raft are trying to change that. Founded in 2012 by husband and wife team Andrew and Lindsay Nations, Great Raft was the first brewery to open in Shreveport. The two decided to found the brewery while they were living in Washington, D.C. “We were home for Christmas in 2011 and had to ship ourselves beer to get through the week,” Lindsay said. “There was shit for beer around here.” Andrew said getting started took about two years from the time they began to get serious about the project. “There was a lot of red tape to jump
design Breanna Riggins
through, and miles and miles of paperwork,” he said. “But we never encountered anybody that was prohibitive.” Andrew said the brewery was a success past what they had hoped for. “It grew really, really fast,” he said. “We thought we built our cellar big enough to get us a year or two down the road, but it really just lasted a couple of months.” “We knew our homebrew experience wasn’t enough,” said Lindsay, so she and her husband pair brought in Harvey Kenney as chief brewer. Kenney, who has brewing experience in four countries, said he was looking at a fair amount of projects, but when he hit it off with the Nations, he decided on Great Raft. “Who I work with is most important,” he said. The selection of beer at Great Raft is unorthodox, as the company came out with three flagships instead of the typical one. Fall/WINTER 2015 | 15
“It is almost unheard of to come out with three flagships,” Andrew said. “Most pick one to be the breadwinner.” The brewery is currently looking at expansions into the rest of Louisiana, and perhaps out of state, but the Nations and Kenney agreed that consistency is the No. 1 priority of the company. “Growth can’t come at the expense of quality,” Lindsay said. “There’s no other way to do it.” Kenney agreed with Lindsay, stressing the reproducibility of a beer is tantamount to its success. “People come back looking for consistency,” he said. “If the second beer doesn’t reflect the first beer, people start to ask, ‘what are they doing?’” Great Raft recently celebrated its two-year anniversary with the Ramble, a party with food trucks, beer samples and live music. Brandon Brousse and Ginger deGravelle, two Shreveport medical students, said they come to Great Raft almost every week. “Some of our friends ship beer to us from around the country,” deGravelle said, “Great Raft stacks up well.” Betsy Kaufer, a Shreveport resident, said she grabbed VIP tickets to the party as soon as she could. She said Great Raft was one of the things she and her husband were excited about when they moved here. “Great Raft is part of the renaissance in Shreveport,” she said. Lindsay said the community has been supportive of the brewery since it opened. “Everyone has reacted very positively that we’re open,” she said. “We’ve had to triple our capacity.” Andrew said he was excited that the community had received the business so well. “We love beer. We obsess over it,” he said. “We wanted to create comething cool for our hometown.”
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Great Raft’s co-founder Andrew Nations serves guest at the Ramble, Great Raft’s two year anniversary celebration.
Great Raft’s Chief Brewer Harvey Kenney (center) entertains guests at the Ramble.
The Ramble consisted of a party with food trucks, beer samples and live music.
Fall/WINTER 2015 | 17
a real taste of
La Familia offers patrons authentic Mexican Cuisine
mexico
words MARCEL MEDLEY
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PhotoS Colin Fontenot / Anna Deutschman
design AADRISE JOHNSON
Spring 2014 | 3
Though there is no one food that can be considered strictly American, there are a number of food options for Americans to enjoy. One such option is Mexican food. The problem with going out for Mexican food is that most “Mexican” restaurants you see actually serve what is considered Tex-Mex instead of authentic Mexican food. This simply means that much of the food served is an Americanized version of Mexican food made famous in Texas, or completely American and just thought to be Mexican. According to Thrillist. com, some key differences between authentic Mexican food and Tex-Mex are in the ingredients used. In Mexico the use of black beans, yellow cheese, wheat flour and cumin is almost nonexistent. As most “Mexican” restaurants serve dishes with these ingredients, most of those restaurants are considered Tex-Mex and not authentic Mexican food. One tiny little restaurant/ grocery store in Ruston has escaped this phenomena. La Familia Authentic Mexican Food has been a relatively unknown restaurant in Ruston for roughly eight years now. Sitting at 307 E. Georgia Ave, the little yellow building doesn’t look much like a restaurant at all. Once inside, however, one is served authentic Mexican food. Upon first entering the restaurant, I was introduced to a dimly lit little room that was half grocery store and half restaurant. The vibe I was greeted with was what you would expect in a movie that takes place in Mexico. There were numerous little bobbles
and masks on the green walls, appearing to have some connection to Mexico, and red accents in different areas. The service was informal and I had to seat myself and grab my own drink from the display cooler. Informality aside, the waitress was very nice and spoke very little English. After looking at the menu for a second or two, I realized it was in all Spanish. Luckily they had pictures next to the 10 items available, making my choice not as difficult. On the menu were choices such as a plate of sliced beef with beans and rice, or a platter of little tacos. The most exotic looking-dish, was a plate with two whole fish cooked, and topped with lemon and other garnishes. I went with the number one, a simple plate of sliced beef served with tortillas, rice and beans. After the order was taken the waitress came back with chips and green salsa. I took a bite of the chips with some salsa and was taken aback by the amount of spice that bite contained. In my experience with Tex-Mex, the salsa served is centered on a red tomato base with little pepper spice and big cilantro flavor. This salsa had virtually no cilantro taste and was made up of a habanero/bell pepper base and mix of flavors. In short, it was very spicy. After a short wait, my food was brought to my table and I began to dive in. Of course with trying any new food there is always a slight bit of apprehension, but after a couple of bites the apprehension evaporated. The food was clearly authentic and delicious. Fall/WINTER 2015 | 19
The tortillas were made with a corn base as opposed to the wheat based tortillas I am accustomed to, and though you could taste the many different flavors added to the meat, it had a more subtle seasoning than TexMex food. Mixed in with the meat were little pieces of potato that served to create a sense of variation within the dish. Though rice and beans are staples of many Mexican restaurants, the rice and beans served here had a subtle taste to them that was absent so much of the sodium Tex-Mex restaurants use. This points to one of the biggest accomplishments this restaurant has achieved, a good flavor without the over use of salt. This, is where many other Tex-Mex restaurants fail. Looking back, I chose the number one because it looked closest to the TexMex/Mexican food I am comfortable with. While what I ordered was good, the next time I visit this restaurant I will be getting a more interesting dish, such as the fish, and I suspect I will enjoy it just as much. Though this restaurant doesn’t look like much, and the card machine doesn’t work, I advise anybody looking to step outside of their comfort zone, or looking for great food, to visit this little restaurant. With its reasonably priced menu, nothing exceeding $16, and an atmosphere reminiscent of a family dinner, one will not regret trying this little slice of Mexico. Just remember to bring cash.
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Fashion
WHAT DO YOUR
JEANS SAY ABOUT YOU?
words isabela palmeiri PhotoS brian blakely / Colin Fontenot design AADRISE JOHNSON
Since the Industrial Revolution, denim jeans have been both a practical and staple item to keep in your closet. As the definition of practical style has evolved, we’ve been introduced to several different cuts of jeans available today. It’s safe to say most people in the U.S. own at least one pair of jeans. However, the chance of you wearing them the same way as your neighbor are slim. A person’s style of jeans can say a lot about him or her including his or her personal style, personality or even lifestyle. So, what do your jeans say about you?
Fall/WINTER 2015 | 21
Whether your intent is to fool people into believing you are actually wearing your significant other’s jeans or not, boyfriend cut jeans are generally worn by hip, rad, or edgy individuals. No, I do not mean your actual boyfriend’s jeans that you quite literally stole from the back of his closet. It means the not-excessively baggy, but just the right kind of slouchy, distressed pair of jeans your rocker self openly loves. If you own a pair (or two or three) you can be officially classified as what I like to call the I-want-to-lookeffortless-and-casual-but-we-all-knowI-spent-40-minutes-getting-ready crowd. While boyfriend jean wearers can also be mom jean wearers, boyfriend jean wearers are typically more comfortable with trends.
THE boyfriend JEAN
Ten years ago these could have been considered fashion forward. However, when everyone and their mom (and boyfriend and grandma) own a pair, it can be safely categorized in the I-don’t-usually-getout-of-the-comfort-zone section of your closet. No, this does not mean there is anything wrong with skinny jeans. Everyone wears them, and (most of the time) they make your legs look great! Because skinny jeans have become the most popular Starbucks drink, everyone has had their taste, the skinnies cannot be categorized as “trend-setters” anymore. Although skinny jeans can most definitely be worn fashionably, typical skinny jean wearers are people who typically shop in the “maturity phase” of a product’s fashion cycle. Meaning, individuals only shop products when they are absolutely sure the item is in style.
THE skinny JEAN
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For clarification, fashion blogger and Man Repeller’s Amelia Diamond calls the mom jean “a semi-stretchy pant that started at the waist…, then dropped down in a carrot shape on each leg, providing the illusion that one’s derriere began in North Dakota and ended in the South.” Mom jeans can be paired with a chunky turtle neck and high heels and still be fashionable. If this is the outfit you pictured in your mind at the mention of “mom jeans,” congratulations: You are one intentionally effortless fashion forward pal! However, if you usually pair these with a thick brown belt and a sickly yellow shirt, you my friend are stuck in the 1980s, and may need to phone a friend for help.
THE MOM JEAN
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THE boot-cut JEAN
Don’t worry, we all owned a pair in the early 2000s. However, most of us have gotten rid of them by now. If you are still wearing them with your tight Aeropostale v-necks and your white tank peeping from underneath and Converse, you should get new friends, because it’s past time for an intervention. Not to be completely disconcerting, boot-cut jeans can be accepted in certain cases. For example, if you are attending a rodeo, or if your job requires you to be in steel-toed boots. They are also acceptable when participating in typical Southern activities, which require maximum-comfort jeans and cowboy boots. 24 | SPEAK magazine
THE flare JEAN More known for its rise in the 1970s, the flare pair has recently started making a comeback. While now they could be considered “trendy,� not everyone has accepted the style back yet. There is no shame in not adopting the reemerging style considering it does not work with every body type. Pairing these jeans with swede platforms and a solid top ensures you will look stylish without reminding people of a decades party outfit.
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Features
Larping the art of
Live action role-playing brings battlefields to Tech’s campus do not consider myself a nerd, unless, perhaps, one qualifies an obsession with politics as such. Despite my lack of a pocket protector, I traded my messenger bag for a makeshift shield made from plywood, foam and recycled seatbelt straps built with a mixture of precision and passion. I traded my pen for something much larger: a PVC pipe covered in foam to resemble a bat. Here I was, battling to the death someone I just met for the first time in a public park where soccer moms were walking a track, stroller in hands, and fit grannies were showing off their yoga skills only 200 feet away. I thought, “Nicholas, what on earth are you doing? You look silly.” Indeed, I did look silly. Here I was shield in hand, bat in the other, fighting someone who only had a foam sword 26 | SPEAK magazine
and would later put me to shame. Upon our first fight, I looked as though I was about to play basketball with this shield and bat rather than fight as if my life was dependent upon it. Within seconds of starting, my opponent went straight for my exposed ribcage where I was met with an immediate death. After the miracle of the respawn, or coming back to life, my opponent became far more lenient by taking a defensive stance so that I might attack him instead. We began shifting back and forth twenty feet apart as if we were dancing in a circle. My opponent was graciously patient, but he could not spare me eternity. My opponent yelled commanding me to attack him. Forsaking my passivity, I granted his last request. In other words, he let me win. There were about five of us that day. After being taught the basics and having fought one-on-one, I was thrown into a free for all where I lasted far longer than I thought I would. I was only third to die.
words Nick smith PhotoS brian blakely / Ashley Kober / Colin Fontenot design Lauren murchison
Spring 2014 | 3
Dagorhir (pronounced “dagar-here”) is a full-contact variation of live action role playing, or LARPing. LARPing has a rather strong and unflattering social stigma attached to it, in part thanks to TV shows such as “Tosh.0” and movies such as “Role Models,” whose sole objectives when portraying LARPing have been to make light of the combat sport, but the stigma seems to be derived from a stereotyped variation of LARPing where magic is incorporated. However, Dagorhir combines aspects of live action role playing, combat sport, and theatrical historical performance without the incorporation of magic. With the theatrical aspect, participants may assume or create characters resembling themselves, a variation of themselves or characters strikingly different from themselves altogether. In many ways, due to the combination of the game’s characteristics, Dagorhir is very much like a real-life video game. Perhaps the difference between the two is in one you are sitting in a beanbag chair, while in the other, you are actually engaging in fast-paced spurts of physical activity. When I asked Michael Arnold, a first-year audiology graduate student and my opponent during the one-on-one fights, what was his favorite thing about Dagorhir, he said, “I love the combat, and I love the camaraderie.” “This brings together a lot of people from a lot of different walks of life. We have accountants, physics professors, construction workers and high school science teachers. We truly have people from all walks of life,”
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This brings together a lot of people from a lot of different walks of life. We have accountants, physics professors, construction workers and high school science teachers. We truly have people from all walks of life.
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Michael Arnold, first-year audiology graduate student
Arnold told me days later while building more weapons and shields in his garage with Aaron Martin, a freshman mechanical engineering student. Sparking a friendship, Dagorhir introduced Martin and Arnold to one another. When I asked Martin what was his favorite thing about the combat sport, he said, “Well, I like building shit.” After a chuckle, he clarified, “I get to change stuff into actual things. We’ve been at this for about eight hours today, and it’s been a fun day for me. Ever since I was a kid, I would build things out of cardboard boxes. This is the same, except on a bigger scale.” Arnold and Martin went on to talk about how this sport has introduced them to some of their closest friends. Yet, up until four years ago, not a single Dagorhir group existed in Louisiana. Arnold’s goal was and remains to change that. He was one of
the leaders of the state’s first group at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which started a few months before he arrived to study for his undergraduate degree. Since moving to Louisiana Tech to pursue his graduate degree, Arnold has formed a small group here in Ruston and, more recently, another group in Monroe. “I have goals for this,” Arnold said. “I’m just going to keep making groups where there aren’t any. It’s one of my ambitions to grow this sport, and I want that to be part of my legacy.” Before I left Arnold and Martin to perfecting their weapons and shields on that evening, Martin mentioned, and Arnold agreed, there is one thing outsiders need to know, “If you think this is stupid or funny, try it. I promise you’ll love it” he said. And he’s right, to a certain extent. Thinking about my initial reaction when I heard about these passionate LARPers, I’m embarrassed and ashamed to admit I chuckled. But after actually trying it for myself, I must admit that it is fun and far more physically demanding than I had previously assumed. After getting to know the people behind Dagorhir, I came to realize that it does not matter if they are nerds who enjoy hobbies different from mine because we are all nerds in our own way. If you would like more information about how to join the local Dagorhir group, contact Michael Arnold at maa044@latech.edu or join the “Dagorhir – Louisiana” group on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/groups/dagorhirlafayette.
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from the floodwaters of Katrina a
Evacuees from the deadliest natural disaster in Louisiana’s history, Tulane’s football team was without a place to call their own. In a dorm at Louisiana Tech, they kept their team alive. words john sadler
When the Green Wave football team left New Orleans Aug. 28, 2005, they assumed they would be gone for only a few days. They wouldn’t be back at Tulane University until December. The storm they were evacuating from, Hurricane Katrina, would go on to be one of the 30 | SPEAK magazine
PhotoS donny crowe
most devastating and costly natural disasters in U.S. history. With more than 1,200 deaths and $108 billion in property damage, the world’s eyes would be fixed on the Gulf region in only a few days. But at the time, the damage was beyond what the players could imagine.
“Overnight, they just told us to pack our bags,” Troy Kropog said. “So I packed a bag for a couple of days, tops.” Kropog, who played both tackle positions for Tulane, said the team’s evacuation to Jackson, Mississippi, was surreal. “We just left at the exact
wrong time,” he said. “The drive is normally around three hours, and it took over 10 hours to get there.” In Jackson, the team found out they would be staying in a gymnasium with no beds or mattresses. Phone service for the team was
gone as well, and the combination of gym, unventilated in the summer heat of Mississippi, and the lack of communication started to take its toll. “We were all hearing crazy stories,” said Lester Ricard, the starting quarterback. “There were alligators on Bourbon Street, the
chief of police had died, that kind of stuff. But we couldn’t validate anything.” The team soon left Jackson for Dallas and learned the extent of the damage on the road. “We stopped in a convenience store, and every television was turned to the news,” Ricard said. Fall/WINTER 2015 | 31
ABOVE: Images from the UTEP vs. Tulane game played in Joe Alliet stadium on the campus of Louisiana Tech University.
“When we got back on the bus, you could hear a pin drop.” Kropog said the convenience store was where it hit home for the players. “We had a bunch of local guys from New Orleans on the team,” he said. “It hit some of the guys really hard, hearing about the fatalities.” Brian King, a wide receiver who grew up in Slidell outside of New Orleans, said his first thought was, “How’s my family?” “My mom had gone to Atlanta, and a lot of my family was in Memphis,” he said. “But I was worried about my house in Slidell and I was worried about the school and the season. “ Kropog said the players realized they would not be going back to New Orleans and Tulane soon, and they were not even sure they would get to play. When in Dallas, the team was looking for a temporary home, a place to play football and enroll in classes, and they found it at Louisiana Tech. “When Tech offered us a place to live and to go to school was when we knew we’d get to play,” Kropog said. The team took up residence on the top three floors of Caruthers, a now-demolished dorm that also housed hundreds of other Katrina evacuees. Jim King, vice president for student life at Tech, said the changing of Caruthers from a then-abandoned dorm into a home for evacuees was a logistical challenge.
“The football and women’s soccer teams, and a number of other organizations pitched in,” he said. “We set up television lounges to watch the events unfold, and food services provided three meals a day.” The team played all of its games at different stadiums that year, and Brian King said it eventually started to affect the players. “It took its toll on us not being able to play in our home stadium,” he said. Kropog said despite the team’s being thrown into a situation they were not prepared for, they stuck together through it. “Nobody left, and nobody gave up,” he said. “We had guys that were walk-ons. They could’ve left, but they didn’t.” Kropog said the players had to adapt to being away from their families and their routines for so long. “That Thanksgiving when we were in Ruston, the only thing open was a Burger King,” he said. “We had Burger King for Thanksgiving dinner and it was the best I ever had. The lady behind the counter felt sorry for us and she gave us Star Wars watches.” The team returned to Tulane after the season ended. Ricard said nobody was prepared for what they saw. “When we got to Kenner it was like a horror movie,” he said. “At that moment I never thought I would come back and play. It had a lasting effect on us mentally.” However, he said the situation played out as well as it could have because he was with his team. “We wouldn’t have had it any other way, man,” he said. “I love those guys. I love them.”
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Fall/WINTER 2015 | 33
Race and How to Get past the Taboo words Leslie Tumbaco
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PhotoS brian blakely
design Lauren murchison
Often said in ignorance, these comments can be considered racist. Yes, I said it. But let’s not get into a panic over the word “racist.” Since the United States’ awakening to the fact that racism is, in fact, bad, the face of racism has been that of a closeminded, uneducated, evil white supremacist—an anomaly. With the extensive history of racism in the United States, though, it’s silly to think that racism would be so uncommon. After all, much of the Civil Rights Movement was in the 1950s through the 1960s, some 60 years ago. Racism may no longer technically be de jure, as we have changed the laws that once outright supported racial discrimination to now combat it, but these things don’t disappear overnight, not even over 60 years. Racism has been such a large part of U.S. (and world) history for so long that it has entered every aspect of culture and life. From the racially typecast actors we see on film and TV to racist-themed college parties, it pervades everything, and so racism hasn’t disappeared, just merely become more subtle, such as in the aforementioned comments. These types of comments, of course, are not on the same level as deliberately using racial slurs or perpetrating overt acts of violence. As such, they have their own category: microaggressions. Coined by psychiatrist and Harvard professor Chester M. Pierce, the term refers to short,
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daily exchanges that send a disparaging message, often unintentionally, toward a person because of their identity. Once or twice, these seem slight, but when piled up regularly, especially with media-perpetuated stereotypes, extremist actions and more, they can have lasting effects, something to which I can attest from my personal experience as a Latina woman. As such, a push back from these students should be expected. People of color have always felt as though their voices go unheard, but with the growth of digital communities, they can find platforms to be heard. AsianAmerican students can vent their frustration at not living up to the “model minority” myth when they get a B in algebra, black students can find a place to express anger at being viewed as lazy just because their history paper was not as long as someone else’s, Latino students can meet others who were also informed that they would be unable to intern because of being “illegal” and much more. In fact, many university groups have created blogs and online communities where students can talk about these slights. While this builds solidarity and allows students the opportunity to find others who share the same experiences, this has also led to public shamings of the digital variety of many people for these tone-deaf jokes and ignorant comments, such as Justine Sacco, a Public Relations rep who in 2013 sent out a racist tweet that landed her on the extreme side of digital wrath and cost her her career. The reactions of these communities, harsh as they may seem, are understandable, though. When these situations arise, the offended student may actually respond to the perpetrator. He/she may say, “Hey, I don’t know if you meant it this way, but what you said is actually racist. By saying that I’m pretty for a black girl, you make it sound like most black girls are ugly, and for some reason I’m an exception.” This is a perfectly civil and reasonable explanation for the racism ingrained into this person’s unwittingly backhanded compliment. Unfortunately, the typical response to the dirty word racist will follow.
And these are only some of the many excuses (typically) white people will give for these microaggressions to be written off. They are aghast at being painted as a racist, as the previously mentioned close-minded, uneducated, evil white supremacist. Suddenly, their hurt feelings and guilt of being a member of the majority seem more important than the fact they offended someone of an already oppressed minority. These conversations are rarely productive and happen too often. Because of this, members of minority communities are fed up with the frustrating result of educating white people about racism. After all, these things have played out in of the history books we studied, on the TV shows, movies and media we consume, on every newspaper and TV channel we watch. I shouldn’t have to tell you that being Latina doesn’t mean I am “illegal” or “fiery” or submissive or whatever stereotype you’ve heard, but the prejudice persists. Hence, many people of color feel that the only power we have is to go to the Internet to air our grievances, gather support and attack digitally. But this too is unproductive as many white people begin to feel that they cannot even talk about race without being quickly and brutally cut down.
Instead, this leads to a variety of platitudes—“Everybody’s racist,” or “Those who talk about race are the real racists,” or “I only believe in one race: the human race,” or some other generalization that starts with “People just really need to”— that make white people defensive and unable to hold actual conversations about race. White people lead a different life from that of people of color. They have certain privileges, some such as that of individualism—being viewed as one person rather than as another faceless member of the same race—and some small such as finding make-up that actually matches their skin tone, and so find it hard it to understand why these comments are offensive at all. Throw in the fact that being labeled a racist is oh-so-horrible, and it’s easy to understand such a defensive response. However, it is important to recognize that racism in the form of microaggressions is still racism. Good intentions don’t negate that fact, but they should dictate the reaction. People of color may be frustrated by the discourse on race relations, but we can’t change it if we don’t try to have even a single discussion. We don’t want to alienate potential allies by shutting them down the moment they make a mistake. We need to listen and understand why they said what they did to best address the situation. On the flip side, white people need to be willing to accept that they’ve made a mistake and to listen to how and why said mistake was offensive. Productive conversation will only happen when both parties are willing to stop and listen. These discussions will still be frustrating and painful, as facing a new ideology tends to be. But is that not the point of a college education—to face new ways of thinking and viewing the world that may or may not come in direct conflict with your own? If we want to celebrate our racial and ethnic differences, not ignore or judge them, we must learn how to do that. As students, we should be determined to open up the conversation on these topics without the fear that we will not be taken seriously or that we are not allowed to make mistakes.
Spring 2014 | 3
‘THE SANDERS’ vs. ‘THE TRUMP CARD’ words marcel medley
I
f you are a political junkie, then 2016 is the year for you. The year is bringing with it what promises to be one of the most interesting presidential elections in American history. There are several causes for the anticipation of this particular election, but perhaps the most notable reasons take the form of two very different people: Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. On the left we have Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, and on the right we have Donald Trump, the controversial conservative billionaire. With Trump leading in the Republican polls, and Sanders rising steadily in the Democratic polls, people have been wondering how such radical entities have done so well. For months it has seemed the only name people knew how to say was Trump. No issue has been as polarizing as Trump’s presidential bid. Trump has steadily been in the news for controversial statements, and while many were taken out of
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design + Illustrations Zach hannibal
context, the message is clear: Donald Trump is a man who says what he wants no matter the consequences. This apparent lack of care for consequences is not the only thing that makes Trump’s position in the polls so shocking. Trump has no political experience to speak of. As a real estate mogul, Trump has made billions of dollars but has never held any political office. With so much controversy surrounding this candidate, his actual positions may have a tendency fall by the wayside. Trump’s position on taxes for instance is, on the surface, pretty simple and straightforward. He wants to lower corporate taxation and close tax loopholes. In his system, low income citizens and couples would pay virtually no income tax, and those who
do pay taxes will be put into four brackets instead of seven. He lines up with most Republicans on the issue of the Second Amendment and favors enforcing current laws over implementing new ones. He encourages looking at the mental issues that lead to gun killings rather than the guns themselves. One of his most outrageously controversial issues is his stance on immigration. His policy would be to build a wall along the border of the U.S. and Mexico. Though this policy is extreme, it is still straightforward, to the point, and does not offer up the usual political patch-up answer. With such a straightforward candidate on the Republican side, the Democrats have really only two options. They can
“WITH TRUMP LEADING IN THE REPUBLICAN POLLS, AND SANDERS RISING STEADILY IN THE DEMOCRATIC POLLS, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WONDERING HOW SUCH RADICAL ENTITIES HAVE DONE SO WELL.”
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a) put up the political machine Hillary Clinton or b) put up the equally straightforward and outspoken Bernie Sanders. Though Clinton is in the lead now, it steadily decreases as Sanders gains ground. His steady gain points to the fact that Democrats may see Sanders as the best counter to the Republican’s Trump card. Sanders, an outspoken outlier in the Democratic Party, is as controversial as Trump with a different segment of the population. As a Democratic socialist, Sanders’ views tend to lean significantly more to the left than any other candidate the Democrats have to offer. One of Sanders’s most noteworthy view is on college tuition. Sanders has proposed elimination of tuition at public colleges and universities. This coupled with the lowering of interest rates on student loans has helped to bolster support from college-age voters. Sanders heavily supports environmental protection and preservation. He supports LGBT rights, and for women’s rights. He supports regulating and reforming Wall Street, along with strengthening and expanding social security. In fact, if one pictures a Democratic standpoint on an issue and then goes a step beyond that, the world gets a decent picture of who Sanders is and has helped to separate him from the rest of the Democratic party. With these two candidates running strong in the polls, there is no wonder so many people have been talking about this presidential election so intensely. The year 2016 promises to be a exciting year in the political sphere.
Bernie Sanders
Donald Trump
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