The O'Colly, Monday, October 2, 2023.

Monday, October 2, 2023

What to expect for the flu, RSV and COVID-19 respiratory season

Deb Balzer Mayo Clinic News Network

Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 are all part of the seasonal respiratory virus lineup. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the upcoming fall and winter are expected to have a similar number of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases as last year. However, they say it’s important to note that these hospitalization numbers are higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic when the leading causes were the flu and RSV.

Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, says researchers in the Northern Hemisphere look to the trends

in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter is ending, to help forecast the upcoming respiratory season.

“We saw in Australia that they had a typical to, in some areas, more severe influenza season. And that’s what I expect this year is more of what we saw pre-pandemic,” says Dr. Binnicker.

“Whether it’s an average year or a more severe year will be based on a few factors: how well people abide by all the lessons we learned about staying home when you’re sick, masking if you’re sick, getting your influenza vaccination, but also the type of virus that’s circulating,” he says.

The CDC says the 2023 Southern Hemisphere flu vaccine reduced hospitalizations by 52%. If similar influenza virus strains spread in the Northern Hemisphere, the 2023-24 vaccine might provide equal protection.

OSU builds international relationships

Kennedy Thomason News & Lifestyle Editor

OSU has expanded internationally.

Twelve Japanese teachers from the Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures participated in the OSU Department of English’s three-week program to teach them English. The program, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State – U.S. Embassy Tokyo, was an effort to reimagine English instruction at OSU.

The program, CLIC: Content, Language, Instruction Confluence, was held July 23 through Aug. 13. It is a result of the rebranding of the English Language Institute to the now English Language and Intercultural Center, which was an effort taken after a dip in numbers seen following the pandemic. Another core initiative was the Occupational and Professional program.

Steph Link, CLIC program director and

Department of English associate professor, said this program is helpful in expanding OSU’s global presence.

“The Occupational and Professional Program offers professional development opportunities that prepare global citizens for the future of work,” Link said.

“When the call from the U.S. Embassy was announced, the team was well-positioned to align our mission with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy Tokyo’s desire to enhance English language education in Japan by teaching younger generations to compete in and contribute to the global society.”

The City of Stillwater and the State of Oklahoma had sister-city and sisterstate relationships with Kyoto Prefecture and Kameoka City prior to OSU’s new initiatives.

Amy Takebe, CLIC program coordinator, said Stillwater’s relationship with Kameoka City was topof-mind when the grant was announced.

See Relationships on 6

Bob Bozarth, first-time vendor, said he couldn’t find his wife because she was too busy socializing with others at GardenFest.

GardenFest was in full swing on Saturday at OSU’s Botanic Garden from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as members of the Stillwater community gathered to support local business.

For those in attendance, GardenFest had activities from mums

and pumpkins for sale, pumpkin painting, a bounce house, goat therapy, live music and food, with 30 vendors at the event ranging in selling pottery, jewelry, plants, woodwork and more.

“I am a local small business, so I was really happy to find a local market to come and see all my Stillwater customers,” said owner of AP Letters Ashlyn Postier.

Postier said she heard about the event through word of mouth from a fellow vendor. AP Letters hand letters and illustrates all of her products, from stationary to apparel. Postier supports other local

vendors while bringing the community to OSU.

Though the event was open and free to all members of the community, OSU students came to spend their Saturday shopping around. OSU sophomore Ethan Nolan said it was a good study break to come and be outside for a bit with his roommate. Between the beautiful weather and seeing the fall spirit come around, Nolan said he’s ready for the fall season.

“I think the botanic garden on campus is so relaxing to be at, I am happy to spend my Saturday here,” Nolan said.

Charley Van Newkirk Staff Reporter

Courtesy of Botanical Gardens

sports

OSU announces 2023-24 wrestling schedule

Braden Bush

Sports Editor

The Oklahoma State wrestling team now has a start date in sight.

OSU announced its schedule Friday afternoon, and the season kicks off on Nov. 10 in Stillwater against Bucknell. The Cowboys’ nonconference slate also includes home duals against Lehigh, Oregon State, Arizona State and Iowa, and road trips to Minnesota and Pittsburgh.

The Cowboys also make a trip to Sicily, Italy, to wrestle No. 6 North Carolina State on Dec. 30.

OSU’s final dual of the regular season comes against the Hawkeyes on Feb. 25. Iowa hasn’t wrestled

in Stillwater since February 2019, when OSU pulled off a 27-12 win. The Hawkeyes have beaten the Cowboys in their past three duals.

The schedule lists two Bedlam duals, one in Norman on Dec. 10 and the other in Stillwater on Feb. 18.

The rest of the conference schedule consists of matchups against Wyoming, West Virginia, Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Missouri and South Dakota State. In total, 14 of the Cowboys’ 16 opponents are ranked in Intermat’s preseason rankings.

The Big 12 Championships will take place in Tulsa from March 9-10, and the NCAA Championships are in Kansas City from March 21-23.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Oklahoma State

Nov. 10 – Bucknell (7 p.m.)

Wrestling 2023-24 Schedule

Dec. 1-2 – Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.)

Dec. 8 – Lehigh (7 p.m.)

Dec. 10 – at Oklahoma (2 p.m.)

TBA – at Minnesota (TBA)

Dec. 19 – at Wyoming (TBA)

Dec. 30 – NC State (Sicily, Italy - TBA)

Jan. 12 – at Pittsburgh (6 p.m.)

Jan. 14 – at West Virginia (12 p.m.)

Jan. 21 – Oregon State (2 p.m.)

Jan. 26 – Northern Iowa (7 p.m.)

Jan. 27 – Iowa State (6 p.m.)

Feb. 2 – Arizona State (7 p.m.)

Feb. 4 – at Missouri (2 p.m.)

Feb. 10 – South Dakota State (6 p.m.)

Feb. 18 – Oklahoma (2 p.m.)

Feb. 25 – Iowa (2 p.m.)

March 9-10 – Big 12 Championships (Tulsa, Okla.)

sports

Cowgirls suffer first Big 12 loss to TCU, end winning streak

Garret Dutton Staff Reporter

The Cowgirls recorded their first Big 12 loss of the season, 1-0 on the road Sunday against TCU.

This came after a pivotal 2-1 win against No. 19 UCF on Thursday in Stillwater.

Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s match, which ended the Cowgirls’ five-game winning streak.

Both teams struggled getting shots off

When there is only one goal scored between both teams, it’s safe to assume it was a defensive battle.

That’s what happened Sunday in Fort Worth.

OSU (11-2, 4-1 Big 12) recorded only nine shots, which is six fewer than what the Cowgirls recorded in the first half against UCF. TCU also struggled, as well, only putting up eight shots. The difference came down to shots on goal, with a 4-2 advantage for the Horned Frogs.

The only goal of the afternoon came from TCU’s AJ Hennesy in the 17th minute. After that, it was a battle of possession.

Physical showdown in Cowtown

The number of fouls in Sunday’s game shows the caliber of physical soccer being played.

The Cowgirls are known for playing a physical brand of soccer, having committed 138 fouls through 14 games. That is tied for the second most in the Big 12, alongside Kansas.

However, Sunday was a whole new type of physicality.

OSU had 12 called on it with six in each half. TCU (8-3-2, 4-1) matched the physicality with 14 fouls, with eight in the first half and six in the second.

It didn’t stop at just common fouls. There were four yellow cards given out, three of which went to OSU’s Summer Chaffin, Laudan Wilson and Mollie Breiner. This was the most yellow cards given to the Cowgirls in a match this season.

Sunday scaries

The Cowgirls haven’t lost much this season, but there is one common factor when they have lost.

Each loss this season come in a Sunday game on the road. Their first loss of the season came on their first road game against Missouri St., with a final of 1-2. Their second loss was the last time the Cowgirls were in the DFW area at SMU. OSU lost 1-0 against the Mustangs before entering conference play.

OSU found itself in a similar situation on Sunday. Despite the momentum of a big home win, it still wasn’t enough to help top the Horned Frogs.

Looking at the Cowgirls’ schedule going forward, they play West Virginia and Texas Tech on Sunday away games. These are going to be big games going forward for the Cowgirls’ NCAA Tournament hopes.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Bryson Thadhani

Three days after picking up their biggest win of the season, the Cowgirls dropped their first conference game of the season to TCU.

sports

‘I think it tells us we’re for real’

Cowgirls take down No. 19 UCF, remain perfect in Big 12 play

Baylor Bryant Staff Reporter

The Cowgirls outshined the Knights’ defense. Heading into the match, the Cowgirls had scored 34 points on the season, and the UCF’s defense only allowed seven goals, with the most points they allowed in a match being two. The key to winning this match was to overcome the other’s strong suit.

And the Cowgirls did just that.

OSU picked up a signature win against No. 19 UCF on Thursday, 2-1. The Cowgirls extended their win streak to five and are 11-2 this season, 4-0 in the Big 12 play.

The Cowgirls capitalized off their high-flying offense with a goal early in the first half. OSU defender Ellie Geoffroy scored the first goal for the Cowgirls off an assist from midfielder Laudan Wilson in the 15th minute. Geoffroy gives a lot of the credit to Wilson for setting her up with the ball.

“It was crazy,” Geoffroy said.

“The ball Laudan played was literally perfect. I had just had to put my head on it, and it went in. It was a dime by her.

After the goal, we picked up the momentum and didn’t let down.”

The rest of the first half was played defensively. Neither team scored, but OSU put on serious pressure. In the first half, OSU had 15 shots with three shots on goal. In the first half, UCF (7-3, 3-1 Big 12) was shut down, totaling only

three shots. OSU coach Colin Carmichael acknowledged how impressive the team has been on both sides of the ball.

“They’ve been great,” Carmichael said. “It starts with Grace Gordon in goal. She’s really grown into a leader on the team. Mollie and Ellie have really formed a nice partnership at center back, and they get good help from Addison. And then our right backs, we rotate four players out there to keep them fresh.

“But really the willingness of the whole group, the offensive players like Logan, Adelhia, Megan and Lexi, they all roll their sleeves up and work, and really it’s kind of who we are right now.”

In the second half, the UCF offense started to heat up. In the 53rd

minute, UCF’s Dayana Martin scored for the Knights. Shots started to rack up for UCF, but the OSU offense did not step down. In the 61st minute, OSU midfielder Xcaret Pineda scored for the Cowgirls, taking back the lead for OSU. Carmichael was impressed with the Cowgirls’ win against a ranked Knights and has faith in how good this Cowgirls team really is.

“I think it tells us we’re for real,” Carmichael said. “Maybe some of the competition we played hasn’t been as high standard as this team. So we were a little uncertain. I think our kids were probably uncertain. We showed we can play with them and we showed we can beat them.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Monday - Wednesday: 10:00am - 10:00pm

Thursday - Saturday: 10:00am - 11:00pm

128 N Main St.

Stillwater, OK 74075

Bryson Thadhani

The Cowgirls faced their biggest test against No. 19 UCF and came out with a 2-1 win, putting OSU atop the Big 12 standings.

GardenFest...

Continued from 1

While the morning was relaxing to some, it wasn’t for others. For vendor Lea Riff, this show was her first with her new company, Feathers and Fluff Farm LLC. Riff said she was nervous, but she said she was overthinking it and had fun.

“I love giving out samples, making everyone happy and making a little money on the side,” Riff said.

With her and her husband trying to find ways to be more selfsustainable to finance their new home, Riff said she was curious. She was interested in a freeze dryer and thought about purchasing one. She said she could sell the byproducts of the dryer. Riff said everyone loves her freeze-dried candy, which has been fun to make and sell.

“When the candy is freezedried it really accentuates the taste of the candy,” Riff said. “I mean who doesn’t love candy.”

As a first-time vendor at GardenFest, Bozarth, owner of Old School Brooms, said he is having a great time meeting people and selling brooms he and his wife make together.

Being 77 years old, Bozarth has had a lifetime in the business. He said his father owned a small broom factory of about 34 employees when Bozarth was born. After Bozarth retired, he wanted to go back to his roots, but as a hobby. Making the brooms from an ear of corn and his wife getting to be creative with the dying process is something the couple can do together.

“I think my wife loves making brooms more than I do,” Bozarth said.

Bozarth said that making brooms comes naturally to him growing up, but his wife has taken the time to learn all the different tricks to put towards their products.

“You can tell there is so much thought and effort into what each vendor is selling; they truly seem to love what they do,” said OSU sophomore Jayson Lopez.

Alexis Higgins

The Botanic Garden at OSU hosted GardenFest for the Stillwater community on Saturday.

Relationships...

Continued from 1

“When we applied for the grant in 2022, we wanted to make sure that we involved our sister city in Japan in the project,” Takebe said.. “I worked closely with Kameoka City Office to include a letter of support from the mayor of Kameoka City in our grant application. Once our grant got accepted in the summer of 2022, I visited Kameoka City to thank Mayor Katsuragawa and Kameoka City Office for their support.

“This was such an exciting and humbling experience knowing that the OSU CLIC team will be adding a new page in the history of Stillwater-Kameoka sister city relations, which began

more than 30 years ago.”

The CLIC team’s goal was to leave the Japanese teachers feeling confident in their ability to integrate English into their classrooms.

“Teachers will receive the ELIC Certificate of English Language Teaching Excellence, which will encourage teachers and deepen U.S.-Japan relations,” the team’s grant proposal states.

“The program will also expand and enhance the Japanese workforce by developing a generation of teachers with newfound knowledge and skills to teach the next generation of global citizens.”

As the Japanese teachers spent three weeks in the U.S., another goal of the collaboration was for the teachers to feel immersed in American culture. Stillwater Public Schools was another aspect of the program experience.

Stephanie Coca, Stillwater Public Schools district coordinator for multilingual learners, said allowing the Japa-

nese teachers into SPS’ classrooms was an important part of the experience.

“Dr. Link asked if SPS would be willing to host Japanese English teachers in our school sites so that they could see inside an American school and classroom,” Coca said. “Being able to experience different perspectives from different lived experiences is important as a member of a global society. It is also important to understand that although we have cultural differences or linguistic differences, we have much more in common than not.”

The second part of the program will is next.

The CLIC team will visit Kyoto and Kameoka City in November to finish the project.

Michael Amory, CLIC content instructor and Department of English assistant professor, said the state-side part of the CLIC program will be integral for

the Japanese teachers to share what they learned.

“Before our arrival, the teachers are expected to teach a peer or near-peer about what they learned from the CLIC program,” Amory said. “This is so that we can begin to transform their English teaching from rote memorization, explanation on grammar in Japanese and word-for-word translation to communicative-based practices that teach language through content.”

Looking to the future, Link stressed the importance of OSU continuing to expand its global presence.

“To continue OSU’s mission of land-grant preeminence, it is important that we strive to always think globally in our local community,” Link said. “OSU’s expertise as a global leader will help address the grand challenges of our home state by viewing our world from a global perspective.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Twelve Japanese teachers spent three weeks in Stillwater over the summer to expand their ability and confidence in the English language.

Respiratory...

Continued from 1

Strains of influenza

Dr. Binnicker says there has been a predominance of a few different strains of influenza over the last few years.

“One is called H3N2 influenza A virus, a common influenza A virus that circulated for years. And then, in some areas, the pandemic strain from 2009, the H1N1 influenza strain, has also been in circulation. We typically see those influenza A strains anywhere from November to February or March here in the U.S.,” says Dr. Binnicker.

“We also see a strain of influenza called influenza B, which usually causes a little bit less severe disease, and that typically comes up toward the tail end of the influenza season, in the February, March and April timeframe,” he adds.

Preventing illness during respiratory season

There are some unknowns in the outlook, including the timing, the specific virus strains and what new COVID-19 variant might emerge. That’s why prevention is critical, says Dr. Binnicker.

The good news is that there are vaccines for these three seasonal illnesses, including updated COVID-19 vaccines and new vaccines for the prevention of RSV in those 60 and older, infants and those who are pregnant.

“It’s an exciting time in terms of prevention strategies for these viruses,” says Dr. Binnicker. “Then you get to the basics: good hand hygiene. If you’re sick, stay home. If you have to get out, wear a mask if you have any of these symptoms. And then testing so we know what we’re dealing with and can take good steps to prevent transmission to other people.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

File photo

There are vaccines for these three seasonal illnesses, including updated COVID-19 vaccines and new vaccines for the prevention of RSV in those 60 and older, infants and those who are pregnant..

How ‘Saw X’ redeemed the franchise

Michael Clark Staff Reporter Review

Clocking in at well over 8,700 pages, “The Official Biography of Winston Churchill” stands as the longest biography ever written. Despite that, my complicated history with the “Saw” franchise would be much longer if put to text.

I was fascinated by its excessive, disgusting nature as a young child, then I was terrified by those exact same qualities as a teenager, and I finally settled on absolutely loathing the series by the time I hit 20. The franchise starts off strong and slowly declines until the series hits a brick wall around “Saw IV.” They are unintentionally some of the greatest comedies of all time.

So, following this downward trend, I had no reason to believe that “Saw X’ would be anything other than awful. No one thought this film was going to be good. I steeled myself as I entered the theater, and not even the comforting words of Nicole Kidman could prepare me for what I saw. Pun intended.

To call it a Halloween miracle would be an understatement, but by some forces far beyond my understanding, “Saw

X” is one of the best horror films of the past few years. There are so many things that make this film work wonders, but the secret ingredient is shifting the perspective of the film onto the mastermind John Kramer himself. If you ask most “Saw” fans why they love the series, they aren’t going to say it’s because of the traps, people love John Kramer. Tobin Bell, reprising his role as the beloved horror icon, gives a performance that is borderline Oscar-worthy.

As the film follows his quest to cure his terminal cancer, before turning into a quest

for revenge against con artists that tricked him, every step of his grief and anger is portrayed splendidly, yet subtlety. “Saw” is often a franchise that is as subtle as a bag of bricks, so the earnest and quieter moments in this film are such welcome departures from what fans are used to. Coming home to my roommates to somberly explain how I got choked up over a “Saw” film was not an easy conversation to have. It’s hard to admit that “Saw X” has more heart than several of this year’s biggest blockbusters. By following a much

more structured plot, with John Kramer’s complex character study as a through line, every scene becomes so much more enthralling.

You can’t quite bring yourself to support some of the visceral traps that Kramer cooks up in this film, but you also perfectly understand what drove him down this path. His moral code is terrible, but gets tested in compelling ways throughout the film.

Another point worth mentioning is that the film has matured greatly when it comes to its cinematography. Earlier “Saw” films look like a poorly

these films and felt in your stomach that they could be so much more than they are, “Saw X” may be the reinvention you’ve been looking for.

Billy the Puppet in “Saw X.”

Come check out the wide variety of elegant clothing at Formal Fantasy!

Located on 121 E. 9th Ave, Downtown Stillwater

The best selection of beer, wine and liquor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main

“The Original Hideaway, located on the corner of Knoblock and University. Serving quality pizza and more since 1957.”

Murphy’s Department Store

815 S Main, Downtown Open 10-6

Monday thru Saturday

Houses for rent

Spacious 1100 sq. ft 2 bedroom home. Recently remodeled, CH/A, wood

floors, nice yard. 2214 E. 6th Ave., Scarlett Bus Route. 405-372-7107.

Cowboy Calendar

Monday 10/02/23

Modos De Ver : Way of Seeing Gardiner Gallery of Art From September 18th - October 27th @ 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Speed Bingo College Bar @ 10 p.m.

Trivia Night Stonecloud Brewing Company @ 7 p.m.

9th Annual Pumpkin Patch Highland Park United Methodist Church

Mon-Fri 1-7 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. ; Sun 12-6 p.m.

Leon Polk Smith: Affinities in Art & Design

OSU Museum of Art until Jan. 27th @ 11 a.m. 4 p.m. https://museum.okstate.edu/art/leon-polk-smith.html

Those Who Served Military Exhibit

Stillwater History Museum at the Sheerar Until Dec. 9th @ 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. https://www.stillwaterokhistory.org/

Tuesday 10/03/23

How To Draw the Figure

Praire Arts Center @ 6 p.m. $25 members; $30 nonmembers each class https://artscenter.okstate.edu/ adult-classes/drawing-and-painting/1259-how-to-drawthe-figure

Cowgirl Softball vs. USAO

Cowgirl Softball Stadium @ 6 p.m.

Rainwater Harvesting

Stillwater Public Library @ 6 - 7 p.m. https://www.stillwaterok.gov/library

The Pumpkin PatchThe Twelves

Until Nov. 5th Tuesday - Sunday 10 a.m. - Dusk $8 / person Kids 2 and under free

Wednesday 10/04/23

Louie Kids’ Night

Louie’s Grill & Bar @ 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Trivia Night College Bar @ 10 p.m.

Live Trivia

Iron Monk Brewing Company @ 7 - 9 p.m.

Bingo Night

Louie’s Grill & Bar @ 8 p.m.

Thursday 10/05/23

Fall 2023 College Fairs: Construction Industry Career

Fair Gallagher-Iba Arena @ 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Funk N’ Beers College Bar @ 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Kid’s Night

Eskimoe Joe’s @ 5-9 p.m. w/ $1 Buffy meal Line Dancing Lessons

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS 1

5

Shared ventures blossom into lucrative fruit.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 9 — Reinvest in a sure thing. Pursue profitable possibilities. Necessity mothers invention. You express yourself well. Obtain advice as needed. Put together a lucrative deal.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 9 — You’ve got the confidence to make things happen. Wait until others decide what they want before providing it. Focus on your own priorities.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 6 — Slow to review plans. Delegate to perfectionists. Have what you need delivered. What seems sudden has actually been planned. Investigate options before plunging ahead. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 7 — Learn from another’s mistakes. Their considerations are valid and useful. Keep communication channels open. Fantasies and illusions fade. Collaborate for practical shared gains.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Harvest the abundance with your partner. Remain skeptical of get-rich-quick schemes. Generate results. Take advantage of an unusual solution. Re-commit to a shared dream.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Explore possibilities. Don’t chase a mirage. Confirm reservations for errors or changes. Research and plan for smooth sailing. Duck into port with stormy weather.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Collaborate with your partner to fill the family pot. Bring home your contribution. Ignore distractions, illusions or scams. Work together for practical gains. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — A surprising development requires collaboration. Temporary misunderstandings can arise. Don’t squander another’s good humor. Learn from an expert. Listen closely and clarify communications.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 7 — Slow the pace with low visibility. Watch for hidden dangers. All is not as it appears. Proceed with caution. Maintain healthy practices to reduce stress.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Romantic fantasies dissipate. Appearances can deceive. Confer with family before making big changes. Take charge for what you want.

Stick to basic priorities.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 6 — Envision the home improvements you want. Talk over big decisions with family. Keep your objective in mind. Stay practical. Buy only what’s needed.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — Follow a brilliant idea. Ignore gossip and rumors. You’re good at solving puzzles. Choose love over money. Stay true to your heart and values.

FOR Level 1 2 3 4 10/2/23