Avion Issue 3 Spring 2018

| Issue 3 | Volume 149 | Tuesday, February 6, 2018 | theavion.com |

Joshua Rosado/The Avion Newspaper

Forgetting the RA in ERAU

An Opinion and Response About the Leadership of Housing & Residence Life Anonymous Resident Advisor There is a significant amount of tension between the resident advisors and the Department of Housing and Residence Life. A majority of resident advisors want

change to happen in the department but are fearful if they voice their opinions, they will lose their jobs. I am not without fear, and as I write this, it is with anonymity. Speaking to the press as a resident advisor is against policy, and has the potential to result in job action, which encompasses suspension, ter-

What’s Inside

RA’s were asked multiple questions including if the increase in obligations was affecting their schoolwork.

mination, or any other kind of reprimand.

"Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly." – Gandhi The tension originated from Fall 2017 resident advisor training when a mandatory, new program was introduced called community builders. The Housing and Residence Life staff created this program to gain quantitative data about the interactions that take place between resident advisors and their residents. A community builder is a record of a resident advisor intentionally interacting with his/her resident. The resident advisor can go out to dinner with their residents, offer to walk them to an event, or just initiate a conversation. The bottom line is that after this interaction, the resident advisors were required to log onto a Housing and Residence Life website and enter information about it, which included: the eagle card numbers of the students they interacted with, a summary of what was said, and the amount of time spent with the residents. When the department introduced the program, there was significant pushback from the resident advisors. Some arguments against it were the additional time requirements, and the artificial environment community builders would create. Resident advisors were required to do a certain number of community builders each month. Training ended, and community builders went forward and

William Shakespeare’s Othello

Honoring NASA’s Fallen Heroes

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continued throughout the Fall semester.

At the beginning of the Spring 2018 semester, Housing and Residence Life staff stated that due to feedback from resident advisors, they planned on discontinuing community builders. The Housing and Residence Life staff declared that for the spring semester, contact hours would be replacing community builders. Contact hours were to be five hours each week that an RA must hold, similar to office hours of a professor. The resident advisors have been told to record the interactions they have with their residents during this time in the community builder form, on the website. The amount of pushback and uproar from the resident advisors was drastically more than that of the pushback from last semester. Contact hours were announced only a few days before the start of classes, and many resident advisors already had their schedules set. The Associate Director of Housing who was explaining contact hours stated they thought resident advisors should have had to do seven hours a week, but five was chosen by the Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life as a start. They made it seem like we got off easy. The department met all arguments with a response analogous to "RA's at other universities don't have the benefits you do, consider yourselves lucky this is all you have to do."

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The Avion

Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Business Manager Photography Editor Advertising Manager

Henry Neiberlien Collin Anderson Rajan Khanna Samantha Stirmel Vipul Telang Payton Muglia

Page Editors Front Editor Campus Editor SGA Editor Student Life Editor Opinions Editor Feature Editor I&T Editor Sports Editors Motorsports Editor Comics Editor Copy Editors

Collin Anderson Samantha Stirmel Kaitlyn Zumwalt Jorja Gwaltney Victoria Jordan Joshua Rosado K’Andrew Beckford Vipul Telang Korbin Martin Rajan Khanna Samantha Stirmel Brandon Collins Jordyn Taylor Sarah Fairchild

Staff Contributors Reporters Keenan Thungtrakul Abigail Johnson

Photographer Joshua Rosado

Correspondents Saktiswaran Jeyaganesh, Korbin Martin, Michael Weinhoffer, Kaitlyn Zumwalt, Raegan Foster, Jorja Gwaltney, Vanessa Burkette, Levi Duncan, Christopher Weil, Emily Rickel

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P.A.W.S. Patrol

Raegan Foster Correspondent

We have all seen the cats that call our campus home. Like other colleges and universities, ERAU is not just home to some students, but also a cat colony. These cats are not a nuisance or a problem, but rather serve a crucial role in maintaining the cleanliness of ERAU as “working campus cats”: reducing the rodent population on campus, which has proven to be a massive issue in the past. Countless attempts to manage the colony have occurred over the years, but their results were only temporary or made the situation worse. That is, until now.

A group of concerned students founded the P.A.W.S. (Protecting Animal Wellness Society) Club, dedicated to the well-being of the students, our working campus cats, faculty, and staff on campus. This plan includes the strategic implementation of TNR, trap-neuter-release. This method is a standard and humane approach to control our working cat population here at ERAU. Together with Halifax Humane Society, P.A.W.S is working on training their members on the safety and importance of TNR, so they can efficiently carry out this process without harming or being harmed by the working campus cats.

After months of preparations— including training by the staff of the Halifax Humane Society in TNR and legal work—P.A.W.S. is in the final stages of putting a TNR program in action, which will include humanely trapping the cats, making sure they are healthy and spayed/neutered and then assessing their potential adoption. Adopting out cats is P.A.W.S.’s main priority, and any cats that the Humane Society deems to be adoptable will go to new, loving homes. P.A.W.S. Facebook page will post which cats that are up for adoption. Any cats that are too feral to be adopted will be safely returned to campus to live happier and healthier lives. It is of utmost importance that only members of P.A.W.S. or professionals participate in this program. All club members participating in this are identifiable by distinctive clothing and signs posted with the P.A.W.S. logo. If you do see the members or heir traps, please let them do their work with helping the students, campus, and our working campus cats.

P.A.W.S. is also taking action on establishing a university-approved feeding station. This station will be identifiable by P.A.W.S signs and its distinctive look. The reason a feeding station has been put in place is to discouraging any individual feeding of the cats as there is a clause in the

Staff Advisor Jessica Murphy, Avion Advisor

Contact Information Main Phone: (386) 226-6049 Ad Manager: (386) 226-7697 Fax Number: (386) 226-6016 Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Business Manager Photography Editor Advertising Manager

editor@theavion.com managing@theavion.com news@theavion.com business@theavion.com photo@theavion.com advertising@theavion.com

Website: theavion.com

Photo Courtesy: P.A.W.S.

One of the Embry-Riddle cats around campus, relaxing in a bike basket.

The Final Countdown Samantha Stirmel Business Manager

The Avion is produced weekly during the fall and spring term, and bi-weekly during summer terms. The Avion is produced by a volunteer student staff. Student editors make all content, business and editorial decisions. The editorial opinions expressed in The Avion are solely the opinion of the undersigned writer(s), and not those of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Student Government Association, The Avion, or the student body. Letters appearing in The Avion are those of the writer, identified at the end of the letter. Opinions expressed in the “Student Government” and “Student Life” sections are those of the identified writer. Letters may be submitted to The Avion for publication, provided they are not lewd, obscene or libelous. Letter writers must confine themselves to less than 800 words. Letters may be edited for brevity and formatted to newspaper guidelines. All letters must be signed. Names may be withheld at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

The Avion is an open forum for student expression. The Avion is a division of the Student Government Association. The Avion is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. The costs of this publication are paid by the Student Government Association and through advertising fees.

The Avion distributes one free copy per person. Additional copies are $0.75. Theft of newspapers is a crime, and is subject to prosecution and Embry-Riddle judicial action. This newspaper and its contents are protected by United States copyright law. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, in print or electronically, without the expressed written consent of The Avion. Correspondence may be addressed to: The Avion Newspaper, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Physical office: John Paul Riddle Student Center, Room 110. Phone: (386) 226-6049. Fax: (386) 226-6727.

ERAU Student Handbook that prohibits individuals from feeding the campus wildlife. The P.A.W.S Club has received permission as an organization to interact with the cats and manage the feeding station. All member of the P.A.W.S club will be following P.A.W.S club regulations. Having a feeding station will minimize the risks of any individual getting hurt by the working campus cats. P.A.W.S is kindly asking these individuals who are feeding the cats to refrain from feeding as it is interfering with their mission as a professional organization. The working campus cats have a job, and that is to eat the unwanted rodents on campus and keep our university safe from rodent infestations.

Please look out for signs from the club informing the public about the organization and their focuses.

If you would like to assist in this effort, feel free to come to the club meetings or contact one of the members; club meetings are held Thursdays in the COB from 7:30 to 8:30 PM; the rooms may vary and will be identified with the P.A.W.S club logo. To contact the club directly, please direct all messages to bourovak@my.erau.edu.

The lifetime bans on 28 Russian competitors overturned, making Russia the third largest team participating in Pyeongchang behind the United States with 242 and Canda with 225. In the past, because of doping, Russia has lost a total of 13 assorted medals, but this overturn might bring some of those victories back to them. However, what is not changed is the fact that Russia’s athletes will be competing as neutrals, with no Russian flags in any public view, and no Russian anthem playing if athletes make it to the podium. 11 appeals for doping have been partially upheld for some of Russia’s athletes.

So far, the consensus is that Russian athletes competing as neutrals will have their medals count towards Russians total medal count.

On the countdown to the Olympics, many people are predicting what medals will go where. Online, Gracenote has an entire virtual medal table

with their predictions. On their table, Germany is first with 40 medals, Norway is second with 37, Canada third with 33, and the United States fourth with 29. Gracenote takes into account the performances of every athlete competing, the table listed on their website by the time of this printing was last updated January 10. Meaning, that Gracenotes calculations will have shifted some medals around by the time they post a follow-up table later this week.

For the host city, South Korea is expected to dominate the short track, which has been their event since it was introduced in the 1992 Winter Olympics. Since then South Korea contributes 42 of the country’s total 53 medals to this event. Usually, analytics have seen an increase in medal wins by the host country for any of the games, so this one will be specifically interesting because it is not a standard country hosting.

The United States women’s hockey team has continued being a dominant force throughout the years and seem

to be doing well. The team beat rival Canada in the final of the 4 Nations Cup in Tampa in 2017 as well as the last four Women’s World Hockey Championships. Still, their rival sits on their shoulder, and will likely be the most intense game to watch on the ice this Olympics. Nathan Chen in Figure Skating is expected to be a big contender in this Olympics as well. The United States has won a record 49 medals in this event, with 15 of them being gold. Nathan Chen’s performance at the 2017 International Skating Union Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final for men’s singles, as well as his beautiful triumph over the ice at the 2017 Nationals. Some others to look out for are Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, the reigning US National Champions in pairs, the brother-sister team of Maia and Alex Shibutani, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates. All three of these pairs teams have been neck and neck for the past few months with them pulling amazing performances everywhere they go.

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Continued from A1 >> “The university recognizes the resident advisor position as a 15 hour per week commitment” – Department of Housing and Residence Life Resident Advisor Employment Contract 2017-2018 Academic Year.

The contract stipulates that we are eligible to work 10 hours a week in another on-campus job, for a maximum of 25 hours a week. Resident advisors do not fill out a time card. They assume that we only work 15 hours each week, which is not the case since the requirements and duties force us to exceed 15 hours. All of the time resident advisors spend handling situations with residents throughout the day and night is not taken into account as part of the 15 hours a week in the contract. Resident advisors must have one duty night each week from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. the next morning.

Additionally, resident advisors work up to nine extra duty days on weekends and holidays. Weekend/holiday duty requires the resident advisor to be on call for 24 hours, and this is just the beginning. Resident advisors are also obligated to: create three to five bulletin boards, plan four programs (increased from three last semester), and create two sets of door decorations. They are also obligated to submit weekly reports and attend weekly RA meetings, bi-weekly 1:1 supervisor meetings, resident 1:1 sessions, room inspections, occupancy checks, spring preview, fire drills, building-wide programs, house calls and more. They are required to assist with events like the Halloween Carnival and Midnight Breakfasts, RA interviews, and now five more scheduled contact hours each week.

The resident advisors have brought their concerns to Housing and Residence Life through various means. One resident advisor organized a survey with alternatives to the most prominent gripe the resident advisors have: contact hours. The choices were less time-consuming options with the feedback from the majority of resident advisors. Housing and Residence Life was unfazed by the proposal and stated the earliest they would even consider a change would be next semester.

The addition of contact hours is only the tip of the iceberg. The resident advisor's central concerns are with the way changes are being implemented, the fact that HRL ignores our feedback, the inadequate timeliness, and the refusal to adjust anything regardless of the pushback. The responsibilities of an RA are not well communicated before being hired.

The time commitment is vastly understated.

There was no mention of the dozens of meetings that require attendance, contact hours, community builders, or the number of additional duty days you are required to have. The resident advisor contract is vague and misleading. The resident advisors are overworked and given requirements that well exceed 15 hours per week of work.

A survey was sent out to all resident advisors with questions to gauge how the changes

this semester are affecting them. There were ten questions on the poll. This survey allowed RAs to have their voices heard. Approximately 50% of the resident advisors, knowing the risks, made their voice heard.

Of those who took the survey: 64.28% of resident advisors either agree or strongly agree with the statement: ‘I feel overworked.'

67.86% of resident advisors feel Housing and Residence Life do not consider their feedback.

75% of resident advisors believe that they work more than 15 hours each week. 64.29% of resident advisors think their residence life coordinator does not have the power, or authority to effect change. 85.72% of resident advisors feel Housing and Residence Life does not work to obtain input from resident advisors before making changes. 71.43% of resident advisors believe that if they speak up about issues they have, Housing and Residence Life will not rehire them. Lastly, 67.86% of resident advisors stated that the increase in obligations this semester has affected their schoolwork.

The final question on the resident advisor survey was a text box where the resident advisors were encouraged to make their voices heard and allowed them to comment on the current situation.

All responses are anonymous and from separate resident advisors: "I feel like no matter how much we try to voice our opinions and make changes; our opinions always get dismissed. I feel like Housing forgets that we are human beings sometimes."

"What I am upset about is the lack of notification and consideration of RA feedback that the HRL department gives to their RA's. It feels like they are taking advantage of us, and no working environment should feel that way."

"They don't care about us, we are just numbers, and a means to an end to get the results they want and numbers they are told to collect."

"The RA position entails a lot of hours of commitment that is not considered or mentioned as part of the position officially."

"Adding more and more work to gather data for research and budget determination will not achieve any of the goals of having more resident interactions or higher retention rates because RA's will avoid unintentional/unplanned interactions to meet the planned interaction requirements so that they can fulfill their other responsibilities as students."

“

I feel like no matter how much we try to voice our opinions and make changes; our opinions always get dismissed

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Housing

"Exploitative and coercive leadership leads to employees scared to lose their jobs and convinced that if they don't put in 110% that they will be homeless."

"This department would be nowhere and nonexistent without the hard work, dedication, and care all the RAs have for their resi-

dents and the pride they have for this school. I believe that HRL constantly takes us for granted, and our voices go unheard without fear of negative counselings. I believe the professional staff in charge of the Resident Advisors care more about the income the department can generate and save rather than the experience and memories we can give residents; the department has forgotten their purpose."

"What is not fair for Housing and Residence Life is that they do not ask for our feedback when they try to implement new things. I don't think it's fair to change our course of work mid-semester when we have already made our schedules for the following semester. Our RLCs do not have the power to do anything neither do our senior resident advisors."

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The Avion residence life coordinators have the power to affect changes and therefore are not a part of the problem. Unsurprisingly, residence life coordinators have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the sudden increase in work they are required to do.

The path forward requires for more active communication between the Department of Housing and Residence Life and the resident advisors. It is apparent resident advisors feel they put their jobs at risk when speaking out against unfair practices. A solution to this problem would be to implement a system where the Department of Housing and Residence Life must provide documentation detailing why a resident advisor was not re-hired. Additionally, a resident advisor that is not re-hired should

A screenshot from the survey sent to RA’s shows the results of one of the questions asked by the anonymous RA.

"My issue with this position is that they treat it like this is a full-time job, with no consideration for the fact that I am a full-time student as well. It was stated a multitude of times throughout the training that they would be "flexible," yet some of us see job action punishments for things that they expect of someone that works for HRL 9-5 every day."

The end-goal is to bring attention to the fact that the resident advisors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL are mistreated, overworked, and want change.

Multiple attempts to solve these issues within the department have occurred, but with no success. The majority of resident advisors feel that Housing and Resident Life will not rehire them if they voice their opinions, and that is a problem that needs addressing. The amount of work resident advisors are asked to do is contrary to the contract they signed and needs discussing as well. The way change occurs, without input from the ones who it affects most, needs to be addressed. Offers to consider change next semester is unacceptable. It is noteworthy to mention that most resident advisors do not believe their

be able to appeal the decision with an independent arbitrator. Most resident advisors feel they work more than 15 hours a week. Contact hours is a massive change in the time requirements resident advisors must meet and need to be eliminated immediately. Resident advisors should have access to a timecard, and the on-call duty system currently in place needs restructuring. Finally, resident advisors should have a voice. A resident advisor advocacy committee should be created with representatives elected by the resident advisors.

I like the residents in my hall. My fellow resident advisors have become some of the best friends I have. I feel lucky that I have such a caring and understanding residence life coordinator. I even admire the passion I've seen from the Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life. I wrote this article not because I aim to disparage anyone, but because I owe it to my fellow resident advisors, and because when diplomacy has failed, only action remains. ***The Avion Newspaper has independently verified the authenticity of the Resident Advisor Survey results.***

Housing & Residence Life Response Steve Logan Executive Director of Housing The Department of Housing and Residence Life is committed to supporting students' personal and professional growth as part of their residential experience.

Resident Advisors and other student staff members play an integral role in supporting the mission of our department. We appreciate the feedback and insight from members of our student staff who took the time to meet with several of our professional staff regarding a modification to the spring job expectation. A more struc-

tured approach to the community development model was introduced during the January training period and was designed to assist the resident advisors in getting to know residents more personally and intentionally. The conversations we had with those RAs who met with us enabled the professional staff in the residence life area and the Executive Director to meet and provide alternatives to this modified job expectation with an ultimate goal of encouraging RAs to focus on the phrase "Every Student, Every Story." Additionally, these productive conversations provided us with valuable information to use

moving forward that will enable us to provide the best experience for RAs as well as all students who reside in ERAU housing.

While we understand from our conversations that there are RAs who are having a good experience in that role, we met with nearly every RA before their interview shifts during RA interview weekend on Jan. 27 and 28. The purpose of these discussions was to communicate that changes were occurring as a result of the productive feedback from those RAs who met with members of the professional staff.

We welcome feedback, both positive and constructive, from any of our

student staff or other members of the campus community and being receptive to this feedback is an expectation our Executive Director has for the entire professional staff team in Housing and Residence Life. It is through the hard work and dedication of our student staff that our department can accomplish its mission of providing students with positive, safe, and inclusive residence hall communities. The resident advisors are the front-line staff in the residence halls, and we highly value their contributions to our department as well as the impact they have on student life at Embry-Riddle.

FEATURE

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Rated R (for violence, language, and some sexuality) Earn Bonus Bucks for watching!

Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns... the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) must navigate the town's dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence.

This is a tale of very flawed people making very bad choices. This is Suburbicon.

Thursday, Feb. 08 •Suburbicon will be shown by Touch-N-Go Productions.

•It will be shown at the Willie Miller Instructional Center Auditorium.

•There is no food or drink allowed in the theater.

•The movie will begin at 8:30 p.m.

•Arrive early to get good seating!

Pulling 5G: The Future Network Vanessa Burkett Correspondent Let us go back to the dark ages of 1991, when the second generation of data exchange and bandwidth, also known as 2G, was enough to send a text message across the world in a blink of an eye. The world responded in awe, and it soon began to grow into a rapid industry, allowing humans to communicate in a way never imagined before. Cellphones went from the size of a briefcase, to the palm of your hand and popularity of this handy device grew like wildfire. By 1998, 3G allowed for internet access, giving birth to search engines and social media.

Finally, in 2008 we experienced the first 4G network we have today, with video streaming capabilities, allowing us to do so much more than text a friend.

Given that it has been ten years without a network update, it is about time for an update, right? Well, the world seems to think so, and cellphone companies have begun what is being known as the "Race to 5G".

Big name cellphone companies are all competing to be the first, creating exciting game plans, big ideas, and some futuristic ideas that could only be found in a science fiction novel. Here is the scoop: 5G will not replace our current 4G network, so instead, they are looking

to enhance it and compliment a system that is already in place, so there is no need to buy a new phone just yet. Right now, the idea is it will be something called the "puck," a hockey puck shaped hotspot that will allow for super high speeds and comprehensive wireless coverage enhancing our current data capabilities. It is said to power other areas that are out of reach with 4G, like smart vending machines, smart cars that communicate with one another, even a smart home. Hopefully, it does not turn into the Disney Movie, "Smart House" but imagining that soon is exciting nonetheless! 5G is also theorized to one day allow us to network robots, stream 3D and virtual reality, but most importantly, reduce lag between devices. Driverless cars using data systems, smart cities, all controlled with this faster-than-life bandwidth is everything our economy has been hoping for.

With all the hype, everyone is rushing to the finish line to be the first to launch this exciting new technology. Chipmakers, such as Intel and Qualcomm, are developing processors and radios that enable 5G. Network equipment companies, including Nokia, Ericsson, and Huawei are making the equipment to support it. That leaves the biggest names in the cellular industry to win the relay.

Most recently, AT&T made a bold claim

that they could have 5G out and running by the end of this year. CEO Randall Stephenson made the announcement, and if AT&T can pull this off, they could easily reap the benefits of being the first, but it's certainly an ambitious claim. They have not announced exactly what this would entail, but it is clear they are raising the bar and setting the standard to show that they are still a force to be reckoned with.

Also competing is Sprint, the 4th largest wireless carrier. According to CNET, CEO Marcelo Claure said on a conference call Sprint was setting their goal for early 2019, and Sprint “believes it can take the checkered flag when it comes to the great 5G race.” They are the latest to make hype about the 5G network, as excitement for this new technology grows. Famous for its unlimited data plans, T-Mobile plans to begin deployment in 2019 as well and offer nationwide 5G coverage by 2020.

Of course, it is no surprise that Verizon wishes to take this new advancement to the next level, as they are looking into the installation of 5G for homes.

There are still complications with how this new network will be handled as it has given them some grief, and they are all tackling this project in their own unique way. 5G as of right now would allow for cell phones to reach rural America and give us a cell phone experience like never before.

Image Courtesy: Cell Tower Lease Attorney

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The Avion

SpaceX Starts Public-Private Partnership Michael Weinhoffer Staff Reporter

On Jan. 31, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from the newly renovated Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The second SpaceX launch of the year placed the GovSat-1 satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit for GovSat; a new public-private partnership between the government of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES. The government of Luxembourg is quite the unique customer for SpaceX, but Luxembourg has been becoming a louder voice in the space industry, and this launch was a good step forward in their global emergence as an industry power.

Luxembourg has a few characteristics that make it attractive to the space industry. The country has one the world’s highest GDP per capita and a prosperous telecommunications industry. Intelsat and SES, two of the world’s largest communication satellite operators, have taken advantage of the developed economy of Luxembourg and have transformed the technological industry there to match that of the United

States. In recent years, the government of Luxembourg saw the writing on the walls that asteroid mining was a viable industry and a new source of income for the nation and accordingly joined the United States in passing legislation that legally permits asteroid mining and the selling of asteroid resources.

Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries, the major asteroid mining companies in the United States, have both partnered with the government of Luxembourg to transform legislation into real economic benefits for the nation and for the world. Overall, the small country of Luxembourg has quickly become a dominant force in the industry and perfect partner for a public-private partnership.

SES S.A. is the other partner of the GovSat venture, and as the world’s largest satellite operator, has quite the reputation. SES operates more than 50 satellites in Geostationary Earth Orbit and 12 satellites in Medium Earth Orbit, primarily providing video to TVs worldwide. SES provides these services to every continent of the world except Antarctica and is pioneering Ultra HD video technology, which re-

sults in crisper and more colorful TV images for homes around the world.

SES also enables in-flight entertainment and monitors airplane and ship movements with the help of satellites.

SES has developed some of the most advanced satellites in the world and has consistently relied on the European launch provider Arianespace to launch the birds safely. Recently, SES has established an excellent relationship with SpaceX and launched one of their satellites on a reused Falcon 9 booster for the first time in history last year. SES S.A. is the model satellite operator, and a strong partnership with Luxembourg only seems appropriate.

The GovSat partnership was formed last year and entails SES providing communication services for governments and institutions in the eastern hemisphere. The lovechild of the partnership, GovSat-1, has advanced security capabilities that will help prevent jamming of its transponder while it is providing services. The joint GovSat mission operations center in Luxembourg operates the satellite. Several officials from Luxembourg and SES commented on the

partnership, such as Patrick Biewer, the CEO of GovSat, who said, “The launch of GovSat-1 opens up a new era of secure satellite connectivity for governments and institutions.” Xavier Bettel, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, noted that “The launch of GovSat-1 is the beginning of a new space experience for Luxembourg, after the foundation of SES in 1985 and the launch of the first SES satellite nearly 30 years ago. GovSat and the launch of GovSat-1 is another step towards strengthening the position of Luxembourg as a key player in the aerospace sector and contributes to a diversification of our economy.”

We can expect more GovSat launches in the future and improved connectivity services for governments around the world. Although public-private partnerships are nothing new, this one feels particularly special because it underscores the improvements satellites can make in our everyday lives and how they can provide significant economic benefits to countries who need them the most or help developed nations refine their services to serve those less fortunate.

Families Venture to the Stars Above Vanessa Burkett Correspondent

Friday evening began with the Space Odyssey, a most fitting song for the night’s events. The crowd watched eagerly as two men took the front of the auditorium in the Willie Miller Instruction Center.

Both older gentlemen, one, wearing a cowboy hat with a blue polo shirt followed by the other in all black, from his blazer down to his black dress shoes. The gentlemen in the cowboy hat took the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 16th annual Gravitation Lecture featuring John Friedman!” Applause filled the room as the man in black acknowledged the audience, setting the tone for an already exciting evening.

Two spiraling objects displayed on the screen as John Friedman smiled at the audience. He told the spectators in the crowd about a phenomenon that happened 130 million years ago, “in a galaxy far away.” Two stars, each with densities massive as a ton per teaspoon, orbited around each other and lost energy to gravitational waves. Because they lost energy, they spiraled into each other until they merged. Due to the energy they created in merging, a jet shot out from this spiral, emitting energy in gravitational waves. The power was greater than all the other stars in the universe; this out shined

all of them combined.

What Friedman was describing was the effects of gravitational waves and the forming of neutron stars.

This was only the beginning, as he demonstrated using a map, describing the moon being 1.3 light-seconds from earth. To get to the nearest star after the sun, Centauri, it would take us four light years.

Putting this into perspective, Friedman converted the distance of the moon to centimeters. “At 7 centimeters, the Centauri star would be 7000 kilometers.” On his map, he showed that it was equivalent to the distance from Daytona Beach, to London! Friedman never skipped a beat as he enlightened the audience on everything from discovery and history, to the fantastic beyond in which we live. His interactive videos, quick humor, and simplicity of which he explained this cosmic wonder left the audience in awe.

Upon completion of his lecture, families of students traveled to the college of arts and science, where they saw Embry-Riddle staff and clubs truly shine. The first two floors were a science wonderland! There were interactive games on making a neutron star, to discussions on black holes and what they really were. There was a Reubens tube of fire that danced to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and

various demonstrations on rockets and space plasma. The passion for research and excitement for space exploration emanated around every corner, but these were just the openers.

The main event was on the 5th floor, where they allowed family members to gaze at the beauty of space through the largest telescope in Florida. The scattered clouds showed favor to the onlookers and revealed a clearing sky.

The lens pointed to the stars in the Orion Nebula, where four stars hovering close together were clear to see.

These, the students explained, were neutron stars: the very same phenomena discussed in Friedman’s lecture. It was remarkable gazing at the sky and seeing theories and histories of man come to life in this exciting event.

Everyone watched as the world of science became a whole lot bigger, more engaging, and entertaining. But most of all, they left with a little more knowledge about the universe and what makes Embry-Riddle the best school for space exploration, research, and discovery.

Jorja Gwaltney/The Avion Newspaper John Friedman demonstrates the creation of gravitational waves to the family-filled audience.

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06 Opinion Fire Emblem Heroes: One Year Anniversary Review

Keenan Thungtrakul Senior Reporter It’s hard to imagine that one year has passed since Nintendo released Fire Emblem Heroes for iOS and Android devices. I’ve been playing this game long enough to know what features were done well and what can be improved on to make it more fun and enjoyable. I’ve done a series of articles on this game, and this will be the last one in the series. For those who haven’t heard of Fire Emblem before, the series is set in a medieval fantasy realm of legendary weapons, magic tomes, dragons, kings, and queens. Players assemble and lead an army of allies on epic journeys against enemies on turn-based battlefields set on a grid, kind of like a radar map.

Battlefields feature various forms of terrain that gives bonuses to units fighting in that area. These include mountains, fortresses, forests, etc. Heroes take all the games in the series and combine them into one dynamic realm. Players collect their favorite characters from the series and bring them into battle alongside each other.

The characters come in a one-to-five-star tier system, with five-star being the most powerful variant. There are many game modes to choose from, from playing multiple maps in a row to exploring the dynamic story to head-to-head battles against fellow players. Heroes use shiny, rainbow-colored orbs as its in-game currency.

Players use them for various features, but their primary purpose is for summoning new heroes. In summoning, you are essentially rolling a large die to determine what Hero you get, and they can be multiple of the same character. To deal with this, you can pass on a Hero’s skills to another character, enhancing his or her abilities at the expense of the duplicate Hero. Or you can merge duplicates for stat and skill point boosts. Another option is returning the duplicates to their home realms in exchange for Hero Feathers;

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an item used to promote allies to higher tiers, dubbed “rarities.”

The latest additions to both Heroes and the newer Fire Emblem games make the stories they tell more interesting and gives players the ability to customize their army with more than just weapons and skill sets. You can pair your favorite characters together and watch their relationships grow, giving greater bonuses with each support level. Heroes have added a feature where you, as the player, can bond with an ally of your choice, giving yourself an in-game partner. I find that interesting, especially in an age where technology dominates one’s life. Nintendo’s finding a way to keep that grip, just like the other big tech companies.

The game’s made it to software version 2.1, and with the 2.0 update, a whole lot of new things entered the playing field.

First off, there’s new Legendary Hero summoning events that occur every month.

Players have the chance to obtain a special Hero alongside other popular Heroes in a focus where the only 5-star heroes you can get are those in focus.

The special “Legendary Hero” comes with an elemental blessing that can boost allies carrying that blessing on the battlefield. Blessing items are usually obtained in quests and can be bestowed upon any ally of choice. The focus heroes also appear at a significantly increased rate, so it’s easier for one to summon a five-star Hero of choice.

Another improvement to Heroes is the ability to refine weapons to make them more powerful. It draws from the “Forge” menu option for armories in the newer games, where players can spend resources (typically gold) to make a weapon of choice for their favorite character. Here, you don’t have gold. The game uses special items obtained from various play modes to forge weapons. Aside from granting increased attack power, allies gain skill-specific bonuses, such as the

Embrace the Dark

Levi Duncan Staff Reporter

I’m here to tell you about the Netflix show Dark. Dark is a show that takes a lot of pieces from great shows over the years.

It tells stories from multiple points in time all within a small town. It has missing children, some of whom turn up dead.

It has a melodramatic score that occasionally features hit songs from the 80s. No this isn’t Stranger Things, it isn’t Lost, but it is just as good. It’s at once a distillation of prestige television from the past decade and a show that has a unique story that stands on its own.

One of those unique things is the language. You see, Dark is set in Germany and is in German. While there is a dubbed version available, I'll give the same recommendation that weebs everywhere give about shows from a completely different genre. Watch it with subtitles. For me, the foreign language only helped add to the show. This show lives in its tone.

The rain, the forest, the music, the

foreign language and even the slightlydisturbing but beautiful intro theme all help build a show where you just feel "something isn't right." Along the way, Dark tells you a compelling story that keeps you guessing as it takes you on twists and turns. The whole time you wonder just how everything is connected.

One criticism I always had for Stranger Things was, as much as I loved the vibe and the kid's performances, the Upside Down mythology always seemed bland and a weak point of the story.

With Dark, the mystery of it all is one of the most intriguing parts. The parents in this story don’t take a backseat like Stranger Things. The history they’ve had, the secrets they hold, and the sins they’ve committed are very much front and center, and they affect their children in very clear ways.

So watch Dark, it's the best television I've seen in a while. It never slows down, has characters to love, characters to hate, deep mythology, and plenty of twists.

You can watch it on Netflix, but with Dark, the question isn’t how, but when.

Image Courtesy: Nintendo Fire Emblem Heroes is Nintendo’s jump into the mobile market.

ability to nullify an enemy’s bonuses if the weapon used is “effective” against it (e.g., bow against a flier).

Aside from these improvements, some of the things the game puts out for players make playing seem like a chore. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s just a game, but for some, it may feel like more than a game. For instance, Tempest Trials, a chain battle mode, features daily bonuses and incentivizing rewards, encouraging players to battle it out twice a day plus all the other neat stuff going on. There’s always at least three concurrently running events in the game that it’s easy to pick something and play. For those looking to rack up free stuff, it’ll take some effort.

Fortunately, the game has an auto-battle feature for those that are busy but still wish to aim for good rewards. You can make it so that the only interactions you have to do is pick a new team if your current one is defeated. Nonetheless, there should be

a better way to give bonuses so players can better take advantage of them in the midst of their busy lives.

Overall, I feel Heroes has followed a good path over the past year, giving players plenty of dynamic scenarios and modes to play so they won’t get bored, and incentivizing them with lucrative rewards. While the game is dependent on luck as far as collecting your favorite characters, there are enough fail-safe mechanisms in place to ensure your precious orbs don’t go to waste.

The game is very generous, so there’s plenty of ways to regain lost orbs.

As far as events go, there needs to be more balance in bonuses so that taking part in them won’t feel like “busy work” or a chore, but rather as an option for one’s free time.

With one year under its belt and more ahead, I’m sure Heroes will continue to attract players of all backgrounds to the series and encourage them to explore the magical realm that is Fire Emblem.

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National Players Present: Shakespeare’s Othello Keenan Thungtrakul Senior Reporter

The night of Jan. 30 featured a performance of William Shakespeare’s Othello by the National Players, a theater troupe that has entered its 69th year of mobile performances. Based out of the Olney Theater Center in Maryland, the National Players embodies the center’s educational philosophy of unleashing the creative potential of both audiences and artists.

The troupe accomplishes this by putting on self-sustained productions of Shakespeare and other classic works to audiences of all ages. They construct their own sets each performance and get up close with the audience afterward with an after-show Q&A discussion; something audience members enjoy and it helps the actors get feedback on their performance.

The group visited the University last spring to perform John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Now, the troupe brings one of Shakespeare’s works to life before the Embry-Riddle community.

The show begins with an argument between two characters over a beautiful woman named Desdemona (Kelsey Godfrey). The suitor, Roderigo (Jared Graham), had enlisted the financial aid of his friend Iago (Simon Kiser) so he can make his moves on her. However, the suitor learned that his crush had married a general named Othello (Shaquille Stewart) whose ensign is Iago. Deep within, Iago despises Othello since he was passed over for a promotion to lieutenant. He thinks he deserves the position, but Othello gave the promotion to a certain Michael Cassio (Dylan Arredondo). The two scheme against Othello and attempt to frame him for stealing Desdemona. They go to her father, Venetian senator Brabanzio (Benjamin DeCamp Cole) and accuse Othello of stealing Desdemona, his daughter, by witchcraft. Later, Othello receives a letter from the Duke of Venice requesting his aid in repelling the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Brabanzio heads for Othello’s house and arrests him. However, when Brabanzio tries to make his case against Othello before the Duke and Senate, his plan backfires. They show sympathy towards Othello and give him a chance to testify for himself. He said he won Des-

demona’s heart by his own experiences.

Desdemona defends her husband and breaks the news to her father. The duke issues Othello his orders, and he departs with his wife and his men that evening.

Fortunately for Cyprus, the invasion force was destroyed in a storm at sea.

Othello’s fleet arrives shortly after and hears the news. He plans an evening of wild partying to celebrate. Unbeknownst to him, Cassio makes a move on Desdemona: greeting her by clasping her hand.

Behind Cassio’s back, Iago plans to trap him and attempt to dissolve Desdemona’s relationship. Roderigo on the other hand, complains about his failure to court Desdemona behind Othello’s back. Iago counsels his friend by telling him that she would not love Othello for all her life (which is incorrect in Desdemona’s view) and will eventually tire of seeing him.

Roderigo’s next move would be to cripple Cassio’s lure since Desdemona will likely go for him after she is s done with Othello. From the looks of it, Othello would be devastated if he lost his dear wife.

The celebration party was filled with drinking and dancing. The National Players modernized the scene to resemble that of a nightclub. Everyone was surely wasted at the end of it. Iago executes his plan, sending Roderigo to pick a fight with a drunk Cassio. He gets ticked off and pursues Roderigo, running into the governor in town. He tries to break up the fight but is injured by Cassio. Roderigo later goes to raise hell in town. Othello had intentions to consummate his marriage with Desdemona, but gets word of the brawl and goes to quell it. Iago tells him Cassio is the culprit and Othello subsequently demotes Cassio. He laments about his reputation being ruined, but Iago, the man who set up this entire scheme, tries to reconcile him by having him and Desdemona pose as lovers, to make Othello jealous. He buys time for Cassio to speak to Desdemona and the conversation ends just as Othello returns.

He suspects something is up, and a crafty Iago takes advantage of it. Iago continues his scheme and lies to Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair, and she then tries to have Othello reinstate Cassio as a lieutenant. Othello immediately suspects his wife of being unfaithful

to him and she offers her a handkerchief that Othello gave her as a sign of their love to help him come back to himself.

However, he drops it, and Emilia (Melissa Carter), Iago’s wife, picks it up, claiming Iago wanted her to steal it for him. Iago, impressed, tells her to put it in Cassio’s room to further validate his lie in Othello’s mind. Othello vows revenge on his wife and Cassio, and Iago lends him his aid. That evening, when Desdemona tells Othello she does not have the handkerchief, Othello is driven mad and storms out. His rage is driven higher when he overhears a conversation between Iago and Cassio about a certain Bianca (Amy Desrosiers) copying the embroidery on his handkerchief. Then, Desdemona comes in with Lodovico (Emily Brown), and Lodovico hands Othello a letter summoning him back to Venice and telling him to put Cassio in his place. That mes-

member brought up the key theme of the power of anger to influence a person.

The seeds of hatred were planted in Othello, and those sprouts served to bring about his downfall. Another key theme is insecurity and accountability. Everyone should work to overcome their insecurities and remain accountable for their actions. Iago was the main antagonist in the play, and he illustrates how one can scheme against another by instilling jealousy and exploiting weaknesses. Othello let his insecurities about race and adaptation into Italian society get the best of him. He became the victim of confirmation bias, hearing a claim and taking it to be true without validating the facts behind it. The bias egged him on in the wrong direction until he crashed and burned. Interestingly, when it came to the portrayal of women in Othello, there was one character who stood her ground even

Keenan Thungtrakul/The Avion Newspaper Cassio (Dylan Arredondo) has a private conversation with Desdemona (Kelsey Godfrey) in Act III, Scene 3.

sage was Othello’s last straw, and he slaps his wife, calls her a prostitute, and storms out. She and Emilia protest his accusations, but he will have none of it.

Iago tells Roderigo of the final task of his clever scheme: he must kill Cassio. That failed, as Roderigo is killed and Cassio is severely injured. Othello suspects the commotion was Iago killing Cassio as he said he would in the act of attempted reconciliation.

Othello silently plots the murder of his former love and suffocates her in their bed. He will have none of her pleas. Emilia brings news that Cassio is injured and Roderigo is dead. Spotting Desdemona’s limp body, she cries out in shock. Othello tells her the motive, refusing to acknowledge Desdemona’s claim of suicide. Emilia tells Othello the truth, and the general is brought to tears. He tries to kill Iago, but he escapes, killing Emilia in the process.

However, the master villain is arrested, and Othello is to be extradited to Venice and tried for murder. He will not have it, so he goes on a rant about how he wants to be remembered and commits suicide.

Othello is one of Shakespeare’s tragedies, where virtually all of the main cast members are dead by the end of the storyline. In the after-show discussion, one

when faced with threats. In an exclusive interview with The Avion, Godfrey (Desdemona) and Carter (Emilia) described their characters and the friendship these two women shared. Desdemona possessed tragic flaws of her own: she searches for hope in anyone, and that keeps her grounded. However, if she looks for it in the wrong people, then she is in trouble.

She and Othello professed true love for one another, but Othello let Iago’s lies draw him away from that fact, using his weaknesses against him. Emilia, on the other hand, thinks she knows the world she lives in, but she does not. She has a more realistic view on things, but her doubt gets the best of her. The friendship shared by Emilia and Desdemona signified their common struggle, living in a society where women were seen as inferior, and often objectified by men.

That struggle drew them together, even in those last moments. These themes still teach important lessons for the present time as well. Anger and fear still drive much of our actions. There remains a need to be responsible for our actions and work to overcome our weaknesses and insecurities. Take this performance as a teaching moment and seek to better yourself bit by bit, day by day.

Photo Courtesy: NASA

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Honoring the Fallen

Airshow Center Planes, Trains & Automobiles Plant City, FL Feb. 24 2018

• An Aerobatic air show includ-

ing a concert and outdoor movies, aircraft displays, vintage aircraft fly-bys, helicopter rides, train rides fr kids, an exotic car show and skydivers. _________

Melbourne Air & Space Show Melbourne, FL Mar. 24-25 2018

• The 5th anniversary edition of the Melbourne Air & Space Show. This year will feature the U.S. Air Force Thunder Birds. _________

Sun’N Fun Fly-in Lakeland, FL Apr. 10-15 2018

• This event showcases products like jet teams, aerospace related exhibits, educational forums, aircraft static displays, professional gatherings of aviation and economic development groups and many more etc. in the Business Services, Railway, Shipping & Aviation industries.

This Week in Aviation History Feb. 07 1984

Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger STS-41-B Mission, become the first to use the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) in space during the first untethered space walk. Mission Specialist Bruce McCandless II makes the most distant space walk from a spacecraft at 320 feet.

Feb. 08 1912

Robert Grant Fowler lands his Wright biplane in Jacksonville, Florida, after a four months west to east, coast-to-coast journey. He becomes the first person to traverse the US from the West Coast to the East Coast.

Feb. 09 1945

In an event that would later be known as “Black Friday, ” a large force of 46 Allied Bristol Beaufighter, North American P-51 Mustang and Warwick aircraft suffers heavy casualties over the coast of Norway during an unsuccessful attack on German destroyer Z33 and its escorting vessels. Only 37 planes would return to base, with 14 airmen killed in action and four taken as POWs, while four Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 190s would be shot down, killing only two pilots and seven sailors.

Feb. 08 1912

Colgan Air 3407, flying from Newark Liberty International in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York crashes into a house in Clarence, New York; all 49 aboard the plane are killed, with one fatality on the ground.

Abigail Johnson Senior Reporter

This past week, the NASA community and supporters mourned and remembered the astronauts who did not survive their missions during their space careers. The Jan. 27 through Feb. 1 are dates that NASA, or any space agency, will avoid when launching humans into orbit. A sequence of tragedies occurred on these dates that have redefined NASA and human space travel across the solar system.

Beginning on Jan. 27, 1967, NASA lost their first crew of astronauts.

However, these astronauts had not even started their mission before they met their fate. Early that morning, the Apollo 1 crew was prepping for their upcoming launch, running a "dress rehearsal" as NASA employees describe. Already inside, young Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were

locked in and practicing preflight procedures. Both Grissom and White had previously been to space while Chaffee was new to the astronaut program.

During the preflight, the capsule unexpectedly caught fire, causing the closed door to expand even tighter to the hatch frame.

This made it impossible for the astronauts to escape through the hatch and caused their deaths in the very seats that would have taken them to the stars.

In 1986, NASA saw their next disaster midflight on the morning of Jan. 28. The Challenger STS (Space Transport System) was claimed not ready to launch during preflight procedures due to the cold temperature. NASA got the "go for launch" command and proceeded for the launch.

Only a little more than a minute into the flight, one of the Solid Rocket Booster's lost an O-ring needed for successful flight. The STS came apart instantly and

caused an explosion that sent the crew inside the orbiter into the ocean, killing them on impact.

Feb. 1, 2018, marked the 15th anniversary of the Columbia accident. Two weeks prior, someone discovered that a foam tile was missing on the wing from the Columbia orbiter on a film of the launch. The crew did not realize what had happened during flight, but NASA was fully aware of the

incident, deciding not to make the problem aware. The lack of foam tile caused the wing of the Columbia to melt during reentry.

An explosion occurred and killed the crew before they could safely return to the ground.

There is a lot we can learn from the effects of these tragedies on the world and how the future of space travel has been affected by these events.

Photo Courtesy: NASA The Crew of the Challenger’s last Mission STS-51-L, with Teacher in Space, S.C. McAuliffe

Emirates Saves A380 Super Jumbo Vipul Telang Photo Editor On Jan. 18, 2018, Emirates Airlines signed a deal with Airbus worth nearly 16 billion dollars to buy 20 more Airbus A380800 aircraft with an option to purchase an additional 16 more later. This arrangement is incredibly crucial to the sluggish A380 program, which did not sell as many aircraft as expected since the inaugural flight in Oct. 2007.

A few weeks ago, Airbus sales chief John Leahy announced that the end of the A380 program was imminent if the manufacturer did not receive any new orders.

For now, the cancellation of the super jumbo seems postponed for the time being.

The Airbus A380-800 is the

world's largest passenger airliner, capable of seating more than 500 people in three classes. Passengers enjoy the novelty of the double-decker aircraft, but most airlines decided they would instead purchase cheaper, more fuel-efficient twin-engine aircraft such as Boeing's 777 or Airbus's A350 XWB which have lower operating costs and a more extensive range of flight. Due to both the wingspan and weight of the aircraft, only certain airports can welcome the super jumbo with the right accommodations to unload and turn around the aircraft for its next flight.

Emirates Airline is the most significant operator of the Airbus super jumbo in the world. Nearly half of all A380 orders belong to

Emirates. Currently, they operate just over one hundred A380 aircraft, with 40 more on a previous order and another 20 on the newest delivery order. "We've made no secret of the fact that the A380 has been a success for Emirates.

Our customers love it, and we've been able to deploy it on different missions across our network," announced Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates.

Dubai's flagship airline has given the A380 revolutionary cabin makeovers, including showers in their first-class cabin and a bar area complete with a small lounge on the upper deck. On their newest A380, Emirates removed first-class for an additional 100 seats in their economy class, bringing the total

number of seats to 615. The twoclass aircraft currently flies from Dubai to Copenhagen.

"The A380 is crucial for the development of Emirates' strategy of using Dubai as a central hub, but Emirates is equally important for the continuation of the program," noted analyst John Strickland. "Airbus should be happy with this deal, but they should also seek more orders with other airlines."

With the delivery set to begin in 2020 for this deal, only time will tell if this order will save the A380 program or be the last before Airbus decides to push their A350 program instead. For now, it appears that the super jumbo will live to see another few years at the very least.

United Reigns in “Support Animals” Emily Rickel Staff Reporter United Airlines has recently updated its policy for customers traveling with emotional support animals. The announcement regarding the new policy was released shortly after the airline denied a woman and her emotional support peacock from boarding a flight at the Newark Liberty International Airport on Jan. 28.

According to BBC, Dexter the peacock is owned by a Brooklyn-based artist named Ventiko.

Dexter was originally purchased for an art installation before he was permanently relocated to Ventiko’s home in New York.

When Ventiko is not working on her photography and performing art pieces, she is posting to Dexter’s Instagram page so his

13,000 followers can stay up-todate with his adventures.

However, Dexter’s adventure to Los Angeles was cut short by United officials. In their Feb. 1 press release, United provided a list of animals that are currently prohibited from traveling in the cabin. Such animals include hedgehogs, ferrets, insects, reptiles, and rodents. Unfortunately for Dexter, this list also includes exotic animals and non-household birds.

United’s current policy also requires customers with emotional support animals to provide the airline with 48 hours’ notice to make proper accommodations. Additionally, customers must produce a letter from a mental health professional that prescribes the need for an emotional support animal. Despite this policy, the increased ease of

registering an emotional support animal has led to many customers taking advantage of accommodations meant for individuals with emotional disabilities.

“Year-over-year, we have seen a 75 percent increase in customers bringing emotional support animals onboard and as a result have experienced a significant increase in onboard incidents involving these animals. The Department of Transportation’s rules regarding emotional support animals are not working as they were intended to, prompting us to change our approach in order to ensure a safe and pleasant travel experience for all of our customers,” United stated in their Feb. 1 press release.

Starting March 1, United customers with emotional support animals must provide proof that the animal has been trained to behave properly in public. Health

and vaccination forms signed by a veterinarian will also be required to prove that the animal will not pose a threat to the health and safety of other customers.

These new policies parallel those announced in a Jan. 19 press release from Delta Air Lines. Delta explained their motivation for updating their policies by citing previous events: "Customers have attempted to fly with comfort turkeys, gliding possums known as sugar gliders, snakes, spiders, and more. Ignoring the true intent of existing rules, governing the transport of service and support animals can be a disservice to customers who have real and documented needs.”

With any luck, these new policies will help to prevent further abuse of regulations surrounding emotional support animals.

Technology What a Boring Flamethrower February

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Jorja Gwaltney Correspondent It all started with a boring hat.

Quite literally- a hat from The Boring Company. Elon Musk is the CEO, co-founder, and chairman of many companies, including The Boring Company. He started selling hats back in Oct. 2017, and by Dec. 10, 2017, he was promising to market flamethrowers after selling 50,000 hats.

Many people probably took this as a joke, especially since, after Musk tweeted his flamethrower idea, he added in his thread, "I know it's a little off-brand, but kids love it." By Dec. 24, 2017, Musk sold 50,000 hats at $20 a pop, clearing one million dollars (not including shipping). Under the "Hat" tab on boringcompany. com, Musk even added the song “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" by Edith Piaf. If you are not familiar

Photo Courtesy: Boringcompany.com Elon Musk’s Boring Company, released a limited amount of “Flamethrowers” which sold out in four days

with French, this translates to "I regret nothing."

That is where it began. His success with the hats and the (mostly) positive feedback fueled his desire to keep selling odd items.

The hat wasn't such an odd idea, but a flamethrower? Some were furious. Miguel Santiago, a politician in California, tweeted in response to Musk's business strategy: "If this is real, I'm outraged, and you should be too. If this is a joke, then it's a terribly insensitive one given that we're coming off of the worst wildfire season in history. Either way: NOT FUNNY. NOT GONNA HAPPEN." It does not stop there- customs agencies were also unhappy.

Musk tweeted on Feb. 2, 2018, "Some custom agencies are saying they won't allow shipment of anything called a ‘Flamethrower.'

To solve this, we are renaming it ‘Not a Flamethrower.'" And that is exactly what they did.

Musk began selling The Boring Company Flamethrower on Jan. 27, 2018 at $500. He also sold The Boring Company Fire Extinguisher for $30.

According to CNN, “The goal was to raise $10 million for his tunneling business.”

So he did. He sold 20,000

flamethrowers and plenty of fire extinguishers as well. Musk saw the humor the whole time, saying under the large PRE-ORDER button, "Buy an overpriced Boring Company fire extinguisher! You can definitely buy one for less elsewhere, but this one comes with a cool sticker, and the button is conveniently riiiight above.”

Musk's followers, at one point ,even started a rumor that he was creating an apocalypse to make the flamethrowers relevant.

Musk denies this in a tweet and responds, "You'd need millions of zombies for a so-called ‘apocalypse' anyway. Where would I even get a factory big enough to make so many!?"

Many saw the humor here ,since Musk is in the process of building an enormous factory for his company, Tesla Inc. His Gigafactory, according to its website, is less than 30% done and already covers over 1.9 million square feet (over 4.9 million square feet across several floors). So it is a realistic possibility that he is creating an army of zombies to start an apocalypse, just so he can sell flamethrowers. He's Elon Musk-he can do anything, and the world most certainly does not deserve his endless sense of humor.

Hot New Shingles In Your Area Samantha Stirmel Business Manager Tesla Motors, one of Elon Musk's famed enterprises, is dipping its toes further into some other business within the first half of 2018. After Tesla absorbed the company Solar City in the middle of 2016, Tesla's power walls and solar roofs have gained much media attention. Keeping with this progression, some Home Depots across the nation will be featuring Tesla displays of their power products; the nearest of which will be in Orlando, Florida.

While some of the 800 Home Depot locations will have basic displays in their stores, others will have visible exhibits showing exactly how the technology works. Right now, the store's displays will feature solar panels and Powerwalls. Within the near future, the industry expects for the solar roofs also to be present.

However, this is nothing new for Home Depot, as before Tesla purchased Solar City, the two companies had worked together.

This will be the first time that these specific products will be vis-

ible in stores and can be seen as a massive gamble for Tesla since other brands overseas have stayed far out of the American sphere with solar technology. Ikea is one of these such companies that have kept their solar enterprises out of America, as they have a lot of mainstream interest throughout Europe.

Solar panel installations for Tesla cost between $10,000-30,000; however, because of President Trump's new import tariffs, those prices are expected to rise five percent. There is some time, as the five percent increase will take effect only after the United States imports 2.5 gigawatts worth of solar panels. Some good may come out of this though, as to combat this increase in prices, Tesla is seriously looking into assembling the solar panels in America since tariffs only affect fully assembled imported solar panels. They have already been ramping up production at Gigafactory in Buffalo, New York, one of Solar City's factories.

According to many online websites, the popular thought is that Tesla is doing this to market their brand and see if the American consumer is ready

The Avion

Launch Control Center Midnight Cherry Tesla Roadster - Falcon Heavy

Feb. 6 @ 1330-1530 Kennedy Space Center, Florida Pad LC-39A

Progress 69P - Soyuz Feb. 11 @ 0558 Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

Beidou - Long March 3B Feb. @ TBD Xichang, China

GSAT 6A - GSLV Mk.2

Feb. @ TBD Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India

ISS Sightings Feb. 10

6:59 PM -Visible for less than one minute, the ISS will rise from 10˚ above North-northeast, reaching it”s highest point at 10˚ and will disappear at 10˚ North-northeast

Feb. 11

7:41 PM - Visible for two minutes, the ISS will rise from 11˚ above North-northwest, reaching it’s highest point at 29˚ and will disappear at 29˚ above North-northwest.

Feb. 12

6:49 PM - Visible for four minutes, the ISS will rise from 11˚ above North-northwest, reaching its highest point at 23˚ and will disappear at 15˚ above East.

This Week in Space History

Photo Courtesy: Business Insider

to head towards their newest enterprise, solar roofing tiles. They have been a long time coming, with only Tesla employees allowed to use them up until recently when in Jan. 2018 they started at the top of their wait list for this brand-new way of roofing.

One particular detail that Tesla released about this brand-new tiling is that is has a lifetime warranty, which may soften the blow of the gross cost

fee of about $51,000 for installation.

Energysage.com specifically ran numbers on a solar roof versus regular solar panels, and while both will run you a pretty penny, it's hard to tell where the value is and will be in the next 15-20 years. The website allows you to look up your energy savings by state, as tax breaks are different everywhere, and can give an idea as to what it would be like if one was curious.

Feb. 5, 1971 Apollo 14 crew lands on the moon.

Feb. 5, 1959 Working Group on Lunar Exploration established by NASA. Feb. 5, 1960 US National Security Council briefed on USAF plans for an anti-satellite system.

Feb. 5, 1964 Soyuz mock-up presented.

Feb. 5, 1961 Earth photography imaging mission.

Photo Courtesy: Construction Junkie Elon Musk unveiled these four options of solar panel roofing tiles offered by Solar City.

Feb. 5, 1958 Tests started for the mission abort sensing program for Mercury-Redstone.

Korbin Martin/The Avion Newspaper

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Upcoming Games: Tuesday No Games

Wednesday Men’s Tennis vs Bethune Cookman 3:30 p.m.

Thursday Woman’s Tennis vs Iowa State 4:00 p.m.

Friday Softball vs University of West Alabama 6:00 p.m.

Baseball vs Felician 6:00 p.m.

Sports

February

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Baseball Starts Season Strong Ryan Mosher ERAU Athletics Baseball season is back, and the Embry-Riddle baseball team enjoyed its 2018 season opener to the tune of a 10-3 win over visiting Tusculum on Thursday afternoon. The Eagles (1-0), beginning their 30th season of play, saw two early leads disappear before a huge sixth inning pushed ERAU to its first win of the year as a trio of Blue and Gold pitchers held the Pioneers (0-1) to just one earned run on the day.

Matthew Russell got the opening day nod for the Eagles, and the sophomore threw just eight pitches in the first frame to retire the first three TC batters, sending his team to the plate where Jake Malone collected the season's first hit with a base knock up the middle. ERAU could not take advantage of Malone's hit and a later Pioneer error as TC's Andrew Willis got out of the first without any damage.

Malone started the first of two straight inning-ending double plays to end the Tusculum second, snagging a sharply hit liner before firing to first to double-up Garrett Dupuis before Russell induced a 6-4-3 twin killing to end the top of the third.

Cole Habig was hit by a pitch to start the Eagle third, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from Mitchel Lindheim.

After a Kyle Guttveg single to right put runners on the corners, Willis was able to get the second out of the inning via a strikeout, but Kyle Marsh gave the hosts their first run of the year with a single to left center, scoring Habig for a 1-0 lead.

The lead did not last long as Daultin Martin homered in the top of the fourth, sending a solo shot over the fence in right center to knot the game at

1-1. Russell limited the damage to just the one run by fanning Jarel McDade with two men on to send the game to the bottom of the fourth.

Zach Howard saw four Willis pitches before crushing a 2-2 pitch to straightaway center, clearing the fence easily and breaking the 1-1 deadlock. Habig kept the inning alive with a two-out double and then scored the third ERAU run of the contest thanks to back-to-back wild pitches from Willis.

Neither team scored in the fifth inning, but the Pioneers capitalized on two consecutive Eagle errors to start the sixth, tying the game on Nate Montgomery's single to left as two unearned runs came across to score, making it 3-3.

Christian Jaworski reached on an error to start the home sixth, moving to second on Alex Dodd's sacrifice bunt. Habig brought in the go-ahead run with a base hit to right, and after the ball took a wild hop past the right fielder, Habig raced all the way to third.

Justin Franklin, pinch hitting for Lindheim, drove a Eamon Collins pitch to left center for a stand-up double, pushing the Eagle lead to 5-3. After Malone was hit by a pitch and Marsh picked up an infield single, Luis Olivier broke the game open with a double down the first base line, just past the diving Tusculum first baseman, plating two more Eagles for a 7-3 cushion. Howard then made it a delightful double-homer game on his birthday, punishing a Charles Hall pitch to left center for a three-run shot, effectively ending any hope of a TC comeback.

Nick Dearing, who took over for Russell in the sixth, pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, and Garrett Goodallmade his collegiate

Kaitlyn Zumwalt/The Avion Newspaper

debut in the ninth, working around a one-out single with a game-ending strikeout to wrap up the 10-3 win.

Howard finished 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs, while Marsh, Olivier and Habig each added two hits. Dearing (1-0) got the win in relief, tossing three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. Russell went five frames with four hits, one earned run and two strikeouts.

The Eagles improved to 22-8 in season openers and 21-9 in home openers, while their 10 runs were the most in a season opener since a 10-4 win over Brewton-Parker to start the 2010 season.

The Eagles hit the road to take on former skipper Greg Guilliams and his Valdosta State squad for a three-game series. First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m. in Valdosta, Ga.

Women’s Tennis Opens 2018 With Win Saturday Woman’s Lacrosse vs Chowan 12:00 p.m.

Softball vs Flagler College 12:00 p.m.

Baseball vs Felician (double header) 1:00 p.m.

Baseball vs Felician (double header) 4:00 p.m.

Men’s Lacrosse vs Chowan 4:00 p.m.

Women’s Basketball vs Lynn 4:00 p.m.

Men’s Basketball vs Lynn 6:00 p.m.

Softball vs University of North Georgia 6:00 p.m.

Sunday Schedule Not Available

Joshua Rosado/The Avion Newspaper The Embry-Riddle women’s tennis team opened its first season as a full-fledged member of NCAA II with a 9-0 win over Southeastern, Thursday at ERAU’s Crotty Tennis Complex. The Eagles gained an early 3-0 advantage as the Fire only had four individuals available for Thursday’s contest, which meant they had to forfeit the matches at No. 3 doubles, and No. 5 and No. 6 singles. The Eagles’ next match is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday when they host No. 25 Valdosta State at the Crotty Tennis Complex.

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Statement Win For ERAU Men’s Basketball

Ryan Mosher ERAU Athletics

The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team was sure glad to be back in the ICI Center on Wednesday night as the Eagles bounced back from a loss at Saint Leo on Saturday with one of the biggest wins of the season against the Sunshine State Conference-leading Rollins Tars. The Eagles (10-11, 4-9) were firing on all cylinders offensively to down the Tars (14-8, 10-4), snapping Rollins' six-game winning streak and earning the first-ever win over Rollins in the ICI Center.

ERAU saw all five starters score in double-figures as Nashad Mackey added to his already impressive debut season with the Eagles, going for a career-high 28 points to go along with 16 rebounds. Mackey led an Embry-Riddle free throw shooting clinic, going a perfect 16-for-16 at the charity stripe, breaking the ERAU single-game record and posting the second-best mark in NCAA II this season. As a team, the Eagles went 29-for-31 at the free throw line, and also went 15-for-30 from beyond the arc, a season-high in made triples for the Blue and Gold.

Mackey also broke the Embry-Riddle single-season double-doubles record with his 16th of the 2017-18 season, moving past former Eagles Tyler DeBord (200809) and Chinwuba Agba (2002-03) who each had 15 double-doubles in

their respective seasons.

At the start of the game, it looked like the visitors would have no problem extending their winning streak as Rollins raced out to a 20-9 lead at the 14:21 mark as Jeff Merton connected on a three for an 11-point RC lead.

However, the Eagles answered with a Joshua Hawkins three of their own on the next possession, the first of six triples from the Eagles over the next seven minutes as ERAU turned the 11-point deficit into a three-point lead when Mackey made a three with seven minutes on the clock. Brian Johnson pushed the Eagle lead to 34-29 with a pair of free throws and ERAU maintained a small advantage into the halftime break when neither team scored over the final three and a half minutes of the first half.

Elijah Jenkins was perfect on his first two three-pointers of the second half, growing the Eagle lead to 46-36 less than two minutes into the period, but Rollins came back with a 7-0 run to trim the lead back to one possession.

A Rudy Bibb-Boyd three stopped the bleeding, and a layup from Luka Majstororvic and a dunk in traffic from Hawkins put the cushion back to double-digits for the Eagles with 15:16 left to play.

Embry-Riddle enjoyed its biggest lead of the night with 12 minutes on the clock when Bibb-Boyd was good on a trey off a Mackey feed, and ERAU held a 14-point lead at 74-60

on two Majstorovic free throws with seven minutes to go.

Deion Clark's two free throws sparked an 18-6 run for the Tars over the next three minutes, culminating on a Jack Fleming three to make it 80-78 ERAU with four minutes still to play. Bibb-Boyd again came up clutch for the Blue and Gold with a jumper to push the lead back to four, and after a stop defensively, Majstorovic was fouled and made both free throws for an 84-78 lead.

Majstorovic again was a perfect 2-for-2 at the line with 1:50 left as the lead went to eight at 88-80, and over the final minute the Eagles iced the game away, going 10-for10 at the charity stripe, including eight straight from Mackey to end the game.

Bibb-Boyd finished with 21 points and eight assists, marking his 19th straight game scoring in double-figures to start his ERAU career. Hawkins went for 16 points, four rebounds and four assists, making a career-best four three's, while Jenkins ended the night with 14 points, three rebounds, and three helpers. Majstorovic got his fourth double-double of the year with 14 points and 13 rebounds and three blocks.

The Eagles hit the road for a pair of games, first on Saturday against Nova Southeastern, tip set for 4:00 p.m. in Ft. Lauderdale, and then a 7:30 p.m. tip at Barry on Wednesday, Feb. 7 in Miami Shores.

Saktiswaren Jeyaganesh/The Avion Newspaper Center Luka Majstorovic shoots a layup in ERAU’s game against Rollins.

ERAU Eagles Hockey Shuts Out Flagler College 7-0 Korbin Martin Correspondent The Embry Riddle Eagles Ice Hockey Club finished off the regular season strong

with a dominant 7-0 home victory over the Flagler College Saints. The turnout for this game was high, and the home crowd was deafening as the Eagles effortlessly overcame the Saints. With a solid win over

Korbin Martin/The Avion Newspaper

a conference rival capping off the regular season the Eagles should have momentum as they prepare to defend their title as Conference Champions this weekend.

Goalie Max Minervini played an excellent game and held Flagler to zero points on 21 shots. On the offensive side of things, the Eagles had five different players score.

Thomas Moor, Spencer Kuhlman, and Austin Yenser scored one goal each. Brendan Barger and Ryan Marks had two goals apiece in a solid showing. The Eagles dominated the rink and kept the puck on Flagler's side of the field for the majority of the game. Every time Flagler would be close to turning things around the Eagles would make a play and create a shot. Flagler's goalie just could not keep up with the intensity of the highpowered Eagles offense as shot after shot was sent his way.

One of the keys to the game was the Eagles keeping their composure and staying disciplined. The game was chippy at times, and multiple players were sent to the penalty box, but the Eagles held their cool while certain Flagler players were visibly frustrated. The Eagles

had a game plan going into the game, and the players followed it to a tee. They were able to capitalize on the power play which sealed Flagler's fate. The Saints just could not keep up. The Eagles talented roster was entirely in sync. It was a great effort by a well-coached team that was firing on all cylinders.

The Eagles must now prepare to defend the Sodexo Cup in the East Florida Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship which will take place at the Daytona Ice Arena this weekend. Their standing at this point in time is first in the conference with a record of 11 wins and seven losses. Helping to keep their spirits high, the Eagles are the only team in their conference with a winning record this season.

The next best team in the conference are the Flagler College Saints who are 4-5 this season, and have been defeated twice by the Eagles. This bodes well for the Eagles as they head into the conference championship. The Eagles will face Florida Tech Ice Hockey on Friday, Feb. 9, at 9:00 p.m. and hopefully will move onto the Championship Game which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 9:00 p.m.

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper

MOTORSPORTS

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Upcoming Races: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250 Daytona International Speedway Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

NASCAR XFINITY Series PowerShares QQQ 300 Daytona International Speedway Feb. 17 at 2:30 p.m.

Rajan Khanna News Editor

With only a week until the beginning of Speedweeks at Daytona, many questions are still left unanswered in the NASCAR world. Danica Patrick announced she would race the 2018 Daytona 500 and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 when she retired late last year. Her longtime sponsor, who supported her through INDYCAR and the beginning of her NASCAR career, Go Daddy, has stated that they will

brand-new Camaro ZL1 stock car will replace the SS as their Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race car, which the industry met with positive feedback upon its unveiling. Pre-season testing has shown the car is excellent. It topped the speed charts at Las Vegas in the recent test. Many teams also unveiled their paint schemes for the new vehicle. One notable scheme is William Byron's vehicle. His scheme pays homage to Jeff Gordon's 2015 Axalta "flame" scheme. He is sure to

Advance Auto Parts Clash Daytona International Speedway Feb. 11 at 3:00 p.m.

Photo Courtesy: Hendrick Motorsports

Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Sebring International Raceway March 17 at 10:40 p.m.

ARCA Racing Series Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire Daytona International Speedway Feb. 10 at 4:45 p.m.

FIA Formula 1 World Championship Formula 1 Rolex Austrailian Grand Prix

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit March 25 TBA

Verizon INDYCAR Series Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Streets of St. Petersburg March 11 at 12:30 p.m.

06 2018

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Is It Speedweeks Yet?

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

FEBRUARY

sponsor her Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 entries. Recently, Premium Motorsports announced that Patrick would drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro for them in the Daytona 500. She has not announced an INDYCAR ride yet. Patrick, however, has solidified her future as a full-time entrepreneur. She has worked hard to evolve her fitness apparel brand and wrote her first book. She also has shown interest in creating her cooking show. It is unknown whether she will compete in any more races pending her negotiations with teams for rides.

Aric Almirola will take her place in the Stewart-Haas No. 10 car.

As both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth retired last season, they have young talent taking their place. Alex Bowman will drive the No. 88 car and Erik Jones will drive the No. 20 car. 2018 will be Bowman's first full season. He filled in for Earnhardt Jr. during the latter half of 2016 due to injuries. Although he is young, he has proven his ability to drive. He took pole position at the 2016 Can-Am 500 and led most of the laps. He also won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Erik Jones has quickly proven that he is a contender for wins. He won the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship and won many races throughout his NASCAR Xfinity Series career.

He also spent 2017 in the Furniture Row Racing No. 77 car to develop experience for his future in the premier series. Both Bowman and Jones will contend for wins at every track.

An exciting new development for Chevrolet will arrive at Daytona International Speedway soon. The

have a significant fan base as soon as his first MENCS start.

NASCAR has tweaked the ruleset to improve the on-track product. They reduced the downforce created by the rear spoiler to 1650lbs. This is said to create a shift in the balance of the car at speed.

They will be more unstable as the majority of the weight will be in the back pushing down the rear tires.

When the vehicle has less downforce on the front, the front tires are much less efficient at turning the car which makes the car much harder to drive. The new downforce requirement will prove to be a chal-

lenge for crew chiefs and drivers.

An improvement many fans will be excited about are the changes to the splitter. During the final laps of the 2017 Monster Energy Open, Erik Jones attempted to pass both Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott for the lead. He was blocked in every lane on track, so he had to get creative.

Remembering what NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt did in 1987, Jones went for the elusive "pass in the grass." The downforce of his car pushed the splitter into the grass and destroyed it. He ended up spinning in the turn and had to retire the car. A sad end to a heroic move.

The 2018 answer from NASCAR is to enforce a "common flat splitter."

This splitter has a more "valence" front than prior Gen. 6 stock cars.

This change will also reduce the engineering advantage that one car might have over the other as all splitters are standard. A significant difference that will only be active at restrictor plate race tracks is the elimination of a minimum or maximum ride height. This is said to increase safety by increasing liftoff speed. Liftoff speed is the speed where the car starts generating lift, and the tires leave the ground. It is a hazardous event for both the car and the driver. These changes have increased that speed by almost thirty miles per hour, a considerable improvement. The low downforce changes coupled with a flatter front splitter should not only make the cars harder to drive, but also increase their top speed.

Overall, the new season will bring many surprises. These new rules might help mitigate the advantage that one manufacturer may have over the other. The new returning drivers will have to battle in new ways as NASCAR changes. One thing is for sure; The 2018 Daytona 500 is sure to be a fascinating race for all.

Photo Courtesy: Motor Trend

FEBRUARY

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A Continental Controversy

Christopher Weil Correspondent

Throughout the entirety of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, manyteams across all of the different classes shared one common issue: tire punctures. Not only was there a tire failure on the fan-favorite No. 23 United Autosports entry of Fernando Alonso, but a total of five tire failures were the cause of retirement for the defending winner, the No. 10 Cadillac of Wayne Taylor Racing. The issue was so severe that Continental Tire had its Director of Marketing, Travis Roffler, issue a statement on live television. This report included various details such as the fact that these were the same tires that had been used in the previous four years of the Rolex 24; this was its 5th year of use. So what exactly went wrong?

For starters, it’s apparent that some teams abused their tires to find a competitive advantage. The easiest way of doing this was to run very aggressive camber angles, which would help the car retain traction better under load in a corner, thus allowing a car to turn at a higher rate of speed. Before every race, Continental Tire gives every team some information on the tires being used, and included in this information is the maximum suggested camber angle. Running outside of this suggestion would increase wear and potentially cause blowouts as it did for many teams.

Among with increased camber angles, teams were running lower tire pressures.

Part of the reasoning for this was actually due to the temperature of the race track. As the track becomes hotter teams will run lower tire pressures such that once the tires are up to temperature, they aren’t over-inflated. While it may be severely overlooked, the 2018 Rolex 24 had the highest recorded temperatures in the past five years. Due to the track itself being hotter than normal,many teams were running pressures lower than what Continental Tire recommended, which was increasing wear as well.

The only confusing part of this whole situation is that Continental Tire themselves confirmed that the No. 10 Cadillac

of Wayne Taylor Racing was not running any values outside of what was suggested. While they blew five tires, their sister cars, who were also within the tire guidelines, managed to get away with either blowing just one tire, or none at all for the case of the winning No. 5 Cadillac DPi. It was previously confirmed that two of the five issues with the No. 10 car were simply due to running over debris, just plain bad luck. The other three, however, are a little more complicated to explain.

In a bid to gain time over their opponents, teams were double-stinting tires at the Rolex 24. What this means is that when the cars would pit for fuel and

them triple-stinting the tires; something that definitely shouldn’t have been done.

Continental Tire never made their tires with the intention of triple, let alone double-stinting in the first place, so it is clear that many teams were pushing the tire to the maximum. The three tire failures of the No. 10 Cadillac that were not from running over debris all came when they were double-stinting tires. They had simply worn the tire out too much, and with the increased temperature of the race track, there was simply too much heat in them. It’s no surprise that the car going the fastest around the track was the one to overheat their tires the most.

A similar event to this actually took

Photo Courtesy: Bimmerfile

tires, they wouldn’t take tires, just fuel.

The tires on the car were already heated up to the optimal temperature, and not changing them shaved off some valuable seconds in the pits.

Due to the tires being warm out of the pits, the teams would also manage to not lose time compared to exiting the pits with cold tires. The tire blowout of the No. 31 Cadillac DPi was actually due to

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper The No. 22 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan Nismo Onroak DPi suffered a right rear tire blowout early into the night at the 2018 Rolex 24 at Daytona. The team, which qualified well, ended up finishing forty-eighth in the race. This team has had bad luck for the past two years. In 2016, they reigned victorious in the Rolex 24, taking the class and overall victory. Their experience with Nissan has been very poor. They must rebound in the 12 Hours of Sebring.

place in Formula One in 2005. Known as one of the most controversial races in F1 history, the tires that Michelin had brought to the United States Grand Prix, which was previously held on the road course layout of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, were completely inept of taking one of the regular oval turns at high speeds. Going through the final turn at full-speed would have caused the tire to

fail after just ten laps; this being in an era where F1 drivers were not allowed to change tires in a race and were expected to complete the entire 73 lap race distance on one set of tires. It was more than guaranteed that all of the cars with Michelin tires would have crashed due to a tire failure at some point in the race. This forced all of the drivers using the horrible Michelin tires, including Fernando Alonso, to have to sit on the sidelines, because taking part in this race with the Michelin tires would have violated an Indiana State Law in which it is illegal to put others at risk knowingly. On the other side of the garage, the Bridgestone tires that other teams, one being Ferrari, were using, proved to be completely safe to go all 73 laps. Ferrari cruised to a first and second place finish with the third place finisher being a full lap down. Even without competing in this race, Fernando Alonso still had the overall F1 points lead at the end of the event, and would subsequently go on to win the 2005 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship title. Michelin did their best to make it up to the teams and fans of the race, including refunding every fan in attendance at the 2005 race as well as giving them a free ticket to the 2006 race. Given that fans saw a complete race at the 2018 Rolex 24, there is absolutely no reason for Continental Tire to do anything to reimburse fans.

It still does look terrible for Continental Tire that their tires failed so much during this race. The failures cost Fernando Alonso a shot at winning and kept Jordan Taylor from getting two in a row.

Thankfully, Continental Tire has already announced that they will come back with a better more durable compound tire for next year such that fiascos like this will not occur again. There are many times in motorsports where the unexpected happens, and this is one of those cases.

Going forward Continental Tire will be very keen to prevent another issue like this from happening again. One can only hope that the 2019 Rolex 24 has no tire issues of any sorts and that the outcome of the race is down to the drivers and the performance of their cars.

Photo Courtesy: Cadillac Racing The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R finished in forty-fifth place after suffering the same right rear tire blowout issue. This issue proved to ruin the chances of many teams that were expected to perform well to retire early due to damage and time lost. This team won the 2017 Rolex 24 in a dominant fashion and proceeded to win the overall championship for the season. They look to win the pole for Sebring and win that race for redemption.

Comics and Games Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker February 25, 2018

ACROSS 1 Makes like a lion 6 Prefix meaning “large” 11 “___ goes there?”

14 Verbally disagree 15 Glass medicine container (var.)

16 1957 org. in screeched 17 Mower’s pathway?

19 Museum contents 20 Those people’s 21 Mini sofa 23 Small amounts 26 Not of the clergy 28 “Good field, ___” 29 Good ol’ place 30 Bro or sis 32 Fifty’s five 33 List extender, briefly 34 Harder to penetrate 38 Friendly and charming 40 Some Cuban dances (var.)

43 Make up 45 Entirely 46 San Antonio pro 48 Row crosser (Abbr.)

49 Loveydovey-speak 2/25

50 ___ Major (constellation) 52 Be literate 55 Alter to one’s advantage 56 Breathing problems 58 Spring up 60 Bread variety 61 Visa fencing operation?

66 Slip up 67 Cowboy event 68 Fleshy orange parts 69 Prefix with “arming” 70 Accessorize 71 Former German currency, informally DOWN 1 WWII British fliers 2 Bobby of hockey 3 Make ___ of it 4 Littlest of litters 5 Brother of Abel 6 “West Side Story” song 7 Casanova wannabe 8 Motherboard insert 9 Jogs 10 Like times of yore 11 W-O-N-S? 12 “... among this document”

13 Groups of eight 18 Hair application 22 Native American pole 23 Sword fight 24 Place known for wine 25 Last-place race finishers?

27 High, wispy clouds 31 Elaborate inlaid work (var.)

34 Early learning letters 35 Voting group 36 Mr. in Mexico 37 Be litigious 39 Home on a cliff 41 ___ vera 42 Like a turtle

44 Easier to understand 46 Frightened 47 Ancient writing papers 51 Pelvis bones 53 Colorless gas 54 Expire 55 Hospital injection fluid 57 Wearing shoes 59 Certain California law grp.

62 “... without further ___” 63 Attachment to “gran” 64 Non-profit airer 65 “’Tis a pity” sound

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

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Prizes up for grabs: -Color Changing Coffee Mugs -Star Wars Plushes -ThinkGeek Nebula Glasses -Steven Universe Puzzle -And So Much More!

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BACK IS FORTH By Timothy E. Parker

“The most delicious exotic fruit discovered this way is the strawberry banana. Sadly, it’s only stable in puree form, so it’s currently limited to yogurt and smoothies, but they’re building a massive collider in Europe to search for a strawberry banana that can be eaten whole.”

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