February 13, 2018 Kscope

UAB’S OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER

TUESDAY, FEB. 13, 2018

VOLUME 59, ISSUE 5

The

Kaleidoscope

LO VE Students and faculty share memories of their past ‘day of love’ celebrations Myah Clinton Campus Reporter mkc16@uab.edu

G

abrielle Curry, a sophomore in biology and philosophy, said the parents at her elementary school would send their children gifts on Valentine’s Day, but her parents didn’t normally participate.

One Valentine’s Day, a messenger brought a teddy bear and a gift bag filled with candy to her classroom.

“It didn’t tell me who it was from,” she said.

Curry said her classmates suspected it was from a secret admirer. She

went home that day excited to tell her mother.

Curry’s mother revealed the gifts came from her and wished Curry a Happy Valentine’s Day. “She did the same thing for my younger sister, and when we got to our rooms that night, there was candy on our beds,” Curry said. “She [then] took us out for a Valentine’s Day dinner.”

Before 2015, no one had asked Rose Crocker, a in junior biology, to be their Valentine.

Her boyfriend Caleb Rudolph, a junior in electrical engineering, changed that.

“On Valentine’s Day, he

See STORIES, Page 5

A review and evaluation of popular Valentine’s Day confectionery items Kristina Balciunaite Life & Style Editor kribal@uab.edu

S

ometimes, words alone simply cannot express our feelings for our loved ones, which is why merchandise corporations have taken on the task to aid helpless romantics spill their emotions in form of material goods. In fact, candy companies produce limited edition versions of their candy only to accommodate the love holiday. However, not every sweet treat is as good as the other. To avoid the risk of losing your Valentine, make sure to pick the right type of confectionary.

The flourlike texture mixed with tart sweetness sums up the flavor of the SweeTarts Hearts. This candy melts on your tongue, but beware, consuming too many during one sitting can cause a slight burning sensation on the tongue and throat, so moderation is key.

Every heart is also printed with a sweet message that one can gift to a loved one.

See CANDY, Page 10

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Win, win, win some more Lady Blazers garner two votes for AP top 25 poll Sarah Oetken Sports Reporter sarahoak@uab.edu

PHOTO FROM KALEIDOSCOPE ARCHIVES

On the road or at home, the UAB women’s basketball team keeps finding a way to maintain their winning streak.

Once again, the Blazers

found themselves in a shootout and was up to the task as the team escaped West Virginia with a 69-62 win over Marshall Saturday, Feb. 10.

For the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Blazers have won 20 games and have their

ninth 20-win season in program history. The win marks the Blazers’ first victory in Huntington since 2014, breaking a three-game road skid against Marshall.

“They knew when I walked into the locker room that they did not play well today,” head coach Randy Norton said. “But this is a special team because when it is winning time, they find a

way to win. I am pleased with the win, but I really challenged our team that on Monday, we have got to come in and get better.”

The Lady Blazers did not show any signs of slowing down, not when the team has Rachael Childress to keep the fire on the court. Childress reigns as Conference USA Player of the Week,

See WOMEN’S, Page 7

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018

Volume 59, Issue 5

here & there

2

FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE

JOKE OF THE WEEK What was the name of the Polish guy who was not accepted into the Winter Olympics?

Badatski - Kristina Balciunaite, Life and Style Editor

THIS WEEK IN STUDENT MEDIA

Impact the latest issue of Aura Literary Arts Review with your story.

Send our team your short stories, poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose to auraartsreview@ gmail.com.

Our staff accepts a wide array of creative writing and visual art, so now is a great time to tell your story and #ShareYourAura today!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Contact Aura at auraartsreview@ gmail.com.

PHOTO BY DAWSON/STAFF PHOTOGAPHER Redshirt junior Lewis Sullivan takes an acrobatic layup against Rice’s Dylan Jones during the Blazer’s 61-56 win Saturday evening in Bartwon Arena.

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY February 13, 1633: Galileo in Rome for Inquisition Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician Galileo Galilei arrives in Rometo to face charges of heresy for advocating for Copernican theory, which holds that the Earth revolves around the sun.

February 14, 278: St. Valentine beheaded Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, is executed for defying Claudius’ orders.

February 15, 1898: The Maine explodes A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard.

February 16, 1923: Archaeologist opens tomb of King Tut In Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen.

February 17, 1904: Madame Butterfly premieres Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly premieres at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy.

February 18, 1885: Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain publishes his famous, and famously controversial, novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which examines the institution of slavery in the antebellum South.

February 19, 1847: Donner Party rescued The first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

If you wish to see your event displayed in our calendar, please contact Chandler Jones at chanj1@uab.edu.

What: Birmingham Chinese New Year Festival 2018 Where: Boutwell Auditorium When: 11 a.m. 2:30 p.m.

What: Yello Fest Who: The Magic City of Art Campaign.

Where: 225 47th Street N. When: 9 p.m.

sunday

What: “The Color Purple” Where: Red Mountain Theatre Company Cabaret Theatre When: 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

What: “We the People” - A Black History Month Art Exhibition Who: Giani Martin.

Where: Avondale Brewing.

When: 5-10 p.m.

aturday

What: “We the People” - A Black History Month Art Exhibition Who: Giani Martin.

Where: Avondale Brewing.

When: 5-10 p.m.

riday

What: Business, Engineering and Technology Career Fair.

Who: UAB Career & Professional Development.

Where: Hill Student CenterWhen: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

hursday

ednesday

uesday

What: Valentine’s Day Pop Up Who: Birmingham Candy Company, Lilt Florals.

Where: The Pizitz When: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Hunter Drinkard of UABTV will be conducting an interview with gubernatorial candidate, James Field. We are still accepting questions for this interview. Please submit questions

by February 14th.

Additionally, Blazer Talk will be release on Tuesday and in the know of Friday of this week.

Contact UABTV at morris95@uab.edu.

If you would like to be featured in our “In Your Perspective” please contact Will Harris at willhrrs@uab.edu.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Contact BlazeRadio at alex96@uab.edu.

What: Cannonball Wine Tasting Who: Rush Wines Where: Piggly Wiggly River Run. When: 4 - 6 p.m.

onday

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Come sing your “heart” out at Valentine’s Day karaoke in the Hill Student Center tomorrow from 12 PM to 2 PM! Also, if you are an aspiring musician and want to submit music, please send you radio edits to alex96@uab.edu

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018

Volume 59, Issue 5

opinion Spring 2018 Editorial Board Chandler Jones Editor-in-Chief chanj1@uab.edu

Wallace Golding Managing Editor wsgoldin@uab.edu

Sufia Alam Campus Editor sufia@uab.edu

Kristina Balciunaite Life & Style Editor kribal@uab.edu

Connor Gentry Sports Editor zcgentry@uab.edu

Bella Tylicki Metro Editor btylicki@uab.edu

Lakyn Shepard Photo Editor layshep@uab.edu

Will Harris Social Media Director

3

KOREAS

Olympic Games foster unity throughs and are optimistic about the possibility of a reunified Korea. “I think Recent developments everybody gains from in the Korean peninsubetter relations between la have us wondering the Koreas,” said Lisa about the immediate Sharlach, a government fate of peace in the professor with a focus Pacific. on Asian politics.

Jan. 1, North Korea’s However, many are Kim Jong Un anstill skeptical nounced his counof the potential try’s intention to progress due to attend the 2018 the supposed inWinter Olympics tentions of North in Pyeongchang, Korea, which are South Korea. still rather hazy.

This announce“It’s been a Rose ment comes soon goal for South after the Koreas Korea so I entered peace talks, and definitely think it’s many see North Korea’s good,” said Hannah attendance as early signs Bae, president of the of reunification efforts.

Liberty in North Korea Furthermore, athletes social justice group. from the North marched “But I’m hesitant on alongside Southern the longevity of these athletes into the opening attempts, particularly ceremony carrying the because North Korea Korean Unification Flag. has been so volatile and Many see these clearly not interested in recent developments a long-term, sustainable as diplomatic breakresolution.”

Parker Rose Columnist pdrose@uab.edu

Aside from the unsure motives of North Korea, there is an element which could get in the way of peacemaking in the Koreas, and it comes not from the North or the South, but from the West.

Vice President Mike Pence will be the most influential actor who will attend the Games along with the rest of the U.S. delegation.

While Pence has been outspoken about his desire to enter “talks” with North Korea, his actions suggest otherwise.

Pence recently announced that the United States plans to levy harsh sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear programs.

Surprisingly, this threat came just two days after Pence made statements about his openness to meeting with North Korean officials at the Games.

But that’s not all – alongside Pence and the delegation is Fred Warmbier – the father of Otto Warmbier, an Ohio college student who died last year just days after being released from North Korean captivity.

And it’s not like things weren’t already awkward – Trump’s continuous verbal attacks on North Korea leave South Korea in the crosshairs – admittedly a tough situation.

These serve as reasons to not be surprised by recent statements from North Korea stating that no such talks with the United States are planned.

And while such language leaves the possibility open, one can only wonder about U.S.’s chances if Pence’s confusing behavior continues after the start of the Games.

One thing that seems to be clear is just how

unclear everything is for the future of U.S.-Korean relations at this point.

And while Pence may be correct in his disapproval of North Korea’s abhorrent history of human rights abuses and political crimes – he needs to pick a side. It is simply foolish to expect cooperation and peace talks from a country, which is currently being punished with harsh U.S. sanctions.

Moreover, this may prove to be an interesting opportunity for Trump to show his foreign policy strengths – or what may be his very unfortunate, consequential weaknesses.

Americans and South Koreans alike can only hope that the former are exemplified.

We can only hope that Pence becomes clearer with his intentions and leave the games to the athletes.

willhrrs@uab.edu

Marie Sutton Student Media Director masutton@uab.edu

Patrick Johnson Production Manager plj3@uab.edu

ILLUSTRATION BY LEISHA CHAMBERS

HAPPY BUDGETING!

Getting your financial house in order Stephanie R. Yates, Endowed Professor and Director, UAB Regions Institute for Financial Education

H Letters to the Editor can be submitted to Chandler Jones, Editor-in-Chief, at chanj1@uab.edu.

The Kaleidoscope functions as a member of UAB Student Media in association with UABTV, BlazeRadio and Aura.

Website: UAB.edu/kscope Twitter @UABkscope Facebook facebook.com/uabkscope/ Instagram instagram.com/ uabkscope/ The Kaleidoscope is produced in the Office of Student Media.

Suite 130 Hill Student Center 1400 University Blvd.

Birmingham, 35233 (205) 934-3354

ave you ever been frustrated searching for a financial document or simply wish you had a better system for keeping up with your important papers?

Many of us do not have a good recordkeeping system because we are not exactly sure which records to keep and for how long. Here is a quick rundown of what you need to keep, where, why, and for how long.

What to Keep Important documents that you should keep include family, property, financial and legal papers. They document your identity, ownership of your assets, your legal and financial status, your employment, your education and your family history. Some people find it helpful to keep a list of all their important documents indicating where each document is located.

Where to Keep Your Records You might want to keep your financial records in a

variety of places depending upon the type of record. Some items you should keep with you wherever you go, you can store some things at home and you should keep some items in a safe-deposit box.

There are certain items that you should always keep with you.

These include: • Driver’s license or alternative personal identification • A credit or debit card • Your health insurance card • You can keep other items at home. You may want to separate these records into a current file, permanent file and a “dead” file.

Current File This file contains papers that you need frequently. It should be very accessible either electronically or in hard copy. This file would include bank statements, bills that need to be paid and medical information.

Permanent File This file contains papers you need less often, so it does not have to be as accessible as your current file. How-

ever, due to the importance of these files, they should be mobile in case you need to remove them quickly due to a fire, flood or other emergency. This file would hold education records, employment records, your household property inventory and your record of important papers if you have one.

Dead File This file can be stored in an attic, basement or closet and includes records that you rarely use but may need one day. It would include things like old tax returns and warranties.

The items you should keep in a safe-deposit box are those that are difficult or impossible to replace. Alternatively, you can keep these items in a fireproof, waterproof, burglarproof home safe. Examples of these types of documents are birth certificates, wills, real estate deeds, your record of important papers, and your household property inventory.

How Long to Keep Records How long to hold on to your records depends upon their source and use. Here are

some rules of thumb: Keep Indefinitely – permanent or original records that do not change over time: • Birth, marriage, death and adoption certificates • Military discharge papers • Naturalization papers Keep for Multiple Years – records for proof of payment or transactions • Tax returns (three to six years) • Car titles (until the car is sold, transferred or discarded) • Mortgage deeds, contract and receipts for home improvements (until house is paid in full or sold) Keep for at Least One Year – items that are typically updated annually • Household budget • Bank statements • Insurance policies (until they expire) Keep Temporarily – items awaiting an action • Credit card receipts until matched with credit card statement Hopefully these tips will help you to get your financial house in order!

campus Champions of wellness Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018

Volume 59, Issue 5

PUBLIC HEALTH

SoPH seeks to promote and protect global health Mallorie Turner Campus Reporter maturn31@uab.

The School of Public Health has its eyes on the pulse of the Birmingham community and beyond with its focus on communal medical care.

“The School of Public Health is about community health,” said Peter M. Ginter, Ph.D., interim dean of the SoPH. “We study the five areas of public health disciplines, [which] are epidemiology, health behavior, health care organization and policy, environmental health science, and biostatistics.”

Ginter says that the SoPH combines these areas to study the health of communities, which could be classified as geographic communities or diseased communities.

“We are increasing the research and we are increasing the level of teaching that we are doing,” Ginter said.

The SoPH has made a considerable expansion of its undergraduate program and has amassed over 400 students in the five years since its conception. In addition, the SoPH has newly

expanded graduate programs, has created more coordinated degrees, and has improved its online offerings.

Students from various backgrounds have taken interest in UAB’s SoPH program. Khushbu Khatri is a graduate student pursuing a dual-degree in the Masters of Public Health and the Masters of Business Administration programs. Khatri, who originates from New England, felt UAB’s graduate public health program would allow her to further expound on her interests.

“Before I came to UAB, I did an AmeriCorps term and then worked as a research associate at a community health center,” Khatri said. “While I was there, I was aware that I was doing public health work, but I didn’t have any sort of formalized learning in public health. I felt that the UAB SoPH offered this. I liked being able to take classes and have what I was learning be stuff that was pertinent to what my professors were actually doing outside of class, as it further demonstrated everything that public health is.”

PHOTO BY DAWSON MILES/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Peter M. Ginter, Ph.D., interim dean of the School of Public Health poses in his office.

The SoPH and its programs pushes students to become involved in service-learning opportunities. The SoPH averages around 130 students yearly who complete internships throughout Alabama that require the students to engage in community-oriented work rather than making the opportunity solely academic.

Lisa McCormick, DrPH, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Associate Dean for Public Health Practices, detailed the community-centered pro-

grams currently being executed by the SoPH. “We’re working with Pathways, which is an organization in downtown Birmingham that serves about 3,000 homeless women and children in our community,” McCormick said.

“We visit with them twice a month to provide really informational sessions on health topics that might be important to them.”

The SoPH is also involved with the Red Mountain Park in establishing a northern entrance to the park to facilitate healthy living

through physical activity for a more socio-economically disadvantaged part of the community.

A seminar series is being presented by the SoPH during the spring 2018 semester. The purpose of these seminars is to connect UAB students working in public health with students in the Birmingham area in order to educate students on ways they can use their public health skills.

“We try to connect with a lot of community organizations to put what we teach and what we research into practice,” Ginter said.

EXPRESS

LUNCH STARTING AT $599

M O N DAY - F R I DAY | 1 1 A M - 4 P M

5 $ 99 6 $ 99 7 $ 99 7 $

99

9” 1-TOPPING PIZZA 9” ANY PIZZA, ANY TOPPINGS PREMIUM SALADS

ATHENIAN, HARVEST OR CHICKEN CAESAR

8 BONE-OUT WINGS & FRIES ADD A FOUNTAIN DRINK FOR $1 MORE PREPARED IN ABOUT 5

MINUTES

OFFER AVAILABLE IN-STORE ONLY. Product availability,combinability of discounts and specials, prices, participation, delivery areas and charges, and minimum purchase requirements for delivery may vary. The Pizza Hut name, logos and related marks are trademarks of Pizza Hut, LLC. ©2018 Pizza Hut, LLC.

DINE-IN, DELIVERY OR CARRYOUT

2016 5th Ave South 205-323-1221 pizzahut.com

4

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2017

The Kaleidoscope

Campus | Page 5

OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

DARWIN DAY

Heroes sparking equality Sufia Alam Campus Editor sufia@uab.edu

PHOTOS BY LAKYN SHEPARD /PHOTO EDITOR Students and researchers gather at the UAB Alumni house to share their research on evolution and the past of human civilization.

Link between emojis, cave art Panel explores the connection of the two artistic, geometric forms

by Lauren Moore Campus Reporter lrm33@uab.edu

Despite thousands of years separation, emojis and ancient cave art may have a lot more in common than most would think.

According to Genevieve von Petzinger, paleoanthropologist, it can be argued that both are similar methods of simple human communication.

Thursday, Feb. 8., Petzinger spoke at the UAB Alumni House sharing knowledge of ancient cave paintings as part of UAB’s Darwin Day celebration event.

Petzinger addressed the topic; though humankind’s ancient ancestors look similar to us, she questions if thought like us too?

Petzinger said she looks to answer this question by studying what our ancestors left behind in their art.

According to Petzinger, in South Africa, the discovery of a 100,000-year-old paint kit marks the beginning of documented art

history, despite no cave art found from this time. This suggests that the first canvases might have been the human body itself.

Petzinger said she focuses on rock art in her work, with most of the art found in caves. Currently, the oldest known rock art in the world is in a 40,000-yearold Spaniard cave.

“Many people think of my job as hanging out with dusty fossils, but this is why I think it is so interesting,” Petzinger said. “I get to look at the beginnings of everything.”

While most researchers focus on the animal and human depictions in this rock art, Petzinger looks to the geometric signs. Currently, she is working to find connection and meaning among various geometric signs that, up until recently, were thought to be unimportant by many researchers.

“For a long time, the geometric category was a dumping ground for anything that didn’t seem to be an animal or human,” Petzinger said.

“

I absolutely love the connection between the first drawing and the first form of communication. And how it looks to the idea that without the drawings we wouldn’t have computers.

—Sabrina Heiser

Stories

From Page 1

surprised me with all [these] cupcakes, each one with a letter, [and all of them together] spelled out ‘will you be my Valentine?’” Crocker said. “It was definitely one of the sweetest things I’ve had.”

Princess Johnson-Higgins, a junior in public health, was in high school at the time of her Valentine’s surprise. She said her college friend came to her high school and brought her candy, flowers and a stuffed animal.

“It was just like super cute and surprising, because I really didn’t know that he liked me at the time,” Johnson-Higgins said.

Destiny Erskine, a senior

Petzinger shares with the audience the significance of geometric patterns.

According to National Geographic, humans were not the only one’s responsible for cave art. There’s evidence that Neanderthals also participated in some of the world’s first art work, fueling the idea that they were a race of human rather than an entirely separate species.

However, according to Petzinger, these geometrics have proven to be full of information. Repetitions of signs in different parts of the world show what people took with them and when they migrated. Looking at the changes or disappearance of these signs over time also gives an important glimpse into how these different groups developed in different parts of the world.

While these signs are not

“

I was like ‘I don’t like cards and then I read it. He had a really sweet message on there... So now anytime we get in a big fight, I re-read the card.

—Destiny Erskine in psychology, said she was in a bad mood on her first Valentine’s Day with her boyfriend in high school.

When they walked to the parking lot after school, he surprised her with a stuffed elephant and chocolate. He also gave Erskine a card, even though she said she

does not like them.

“I was like ‘I don’t like cards and then I read it,’” Erskine said. “He had a really sweet message on there.”

Erskine has kept the card to this day.

“So now anytime we get in a big fight, I re-read the card,” she said. “I just found

considered writing, they are considered the first physical memory system. In this way, computers can be traced back all the way to these drawings.

“I absolutely love the connection between the first drawings and the first form of communication,” said Sabrina Heiser, a doctoral student in the biology program. “And how it looks to the idea that without the drawings we wouldn’t have computers.”

Overall, according to Petzinger, it is important to learn more about this art because it is a key tool in observing the history of humanity.

“This is our story,” Petzinger said. “This is our history. Everything belongs to us.” it again after a year of it being lost.”

Shannon Blanton, Ph.D., Dean of the Honors College and a professor in the department of political science and public administration, said when she and her sister were children, she liked receiving conversation hearts from her dad.

“I still have a sweet tooth and associate the holiday with a yummy treat, though now I look forward to my husband giving me a big box of chocolates,” she said.

Ana Maria Santiago, M.A., an instructor in the department of English was surprised as well.

“My now husband took me camping and proposed to me by the campfire,” she said.

From Wolverine to Superman, superheroes have long provided fans with hours of entertainment and fantasy.

Now, enthusiasts can also learn how these fictional characters start discussions about real-world social justice issues such as classism, transphobia and mental health.

Wednesday, Feb. 7, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted a panel to discuss how the explosion of superhero films and comics have ignited a conversation to the public about issues through storylines and backgrounds of all characters. Topics that have been often seen as taboo and off limits, can now be discussed through the shield of these characters.

Panelists included Celine Atkins, a doctoral student in the developmental psychology program, Alaina Palmer a senior in computer science, Ana Santiago, a professor in the department of English, Katie McIntyre, a professor in the department of sociology, Matthew King, Ph.D., a professor in ethics and philosophy, Miles Essix a junior in economics and Brandon Wolfe, Ph.D., and assistant vice president of campus and community engagement.

The panel first tackled the topic: how can superheroes in pop culture be instrumental in addressing issues in society.

“In my experience, superheroes have always addressed social issues,” Palmer said. “They have never just been about fighting bad guys or saving the world.”

According to Palmer, superheroes were always meant to help their readers deal with issues. Readers see even an amazing character, such as Superman, struggle with everyday problems such as holding a job.

The panel also addressed how to deal with characters who sometimes enforce stereotypes.

“When we’re dealing with superhero representation and pop culture, it’s going to be a mix of those who try to advance the discussion and those who try to perpetrate the stereotypes,” King said.

Following addressing the negative stereotypes enforced by superheroes, the panel discussed how can superheroes provide a voice to marginalized individuals.

“It’s simple,” Wolfe said.

“Art reflects culture. For example, one of the dopest things Luke Cage did throughout the show was that he wore the hoody. And the hoody we all know was a depiction of Trayvon Martin. But the difference is, unlike Martin’s, his was bulletproof. So now you get this hero who’s from the hood, but still continues to persevere.”

The panel ended with discussing on how to hold Hollywood responsible for bastardizing certain superhero characters.

“Society is finally starting to hold creators responsible,” Wolfe said. “And we got to keep pushing this beyond this traditional thinking of we want the consistent white male hero who continues to objectify the superhero women where they have to be sexy and they always need to be saved. This generation can literally bring change with a hashtag.”

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018

Volume 59, Issue 5

sports

6 MEN’S BASKETBALL

67-60

FROM THE DESK OF: THE SPORTS EDITOR

56-61

The arc should not exist Connor Gentry Sports Editor zcgentry@uab.edu

PHOTO BY DAWSON MILES/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHY Senior forward Chris Cokley throws down a one-handed dunk in the Blazers’ 61-56 win over the Rice Owls Saturday night in Bartow Arena.

Bend, don’t break Slow start sinks Blazer comeback Sarah Oetken Sports Reporter sarahoak@uab.edu

Frustrated cries were heard early on for the UAB Men’s Basketball Team in a 67-60 Conference USA loss to North Texas Thursday night in Bartow Arena. The Blazers could not overcome the offensive despair that took hold throughout the game.

From the tipoff, the Blazers failed to hit baskets. The offense missed consecutive shots against a packed North Texas zone defense.

The fight for a made shot took the Blazers 7:27 with the first basket finally coming from Lewis Sullivan. However, by that point, North Texas had already scored 12 points.

“We did not play well enough, obviously, to be successful,” said UAB Head Coach Robert Ehsan. “Shooting the basketball was a real

“

Shooting the basketball was a real struggle for us...

I kept telling the guys to shoot the ball with confidence.

—Robert Ehsan

Women’s From Page 1

and the Lady Blazers’ top scorer with a game-high 24 points on seven-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.

Kara Rawls added 12 points and four rebounds. Miyah Barnes contributed 11 points of her own, while hitting four game-seal-

struggle for us. I thought we had a couple of good days of preparation. The guys were excited to play. We really could not make a shot that first couple of minutes, which I thought deflated our guys a little bit. We caused ourselves a deficit that we couldn’t crawl out of.”

North Texas came to play as the Mean Green packed it in the paint and made it difficult for the Blazers to get the ball inside. Even though Deion Lavender gave the team back-to-back baskets, the junior’s effort was not enough that to get the Blazers out of their offensive funk. By halftime, the Blazers had just seven field goals.

“A very frustrating performance, especially on the offensive end for us tonight,” Ehsan said. “There were a couple of frustrating plays in the end of the half, and when we got the layup and we missed the tip. I thought that would have been the momentum that would have pushed the game.”

In the second half, the Blazers found their rhythm and started to play more consistently. The Blazers had the deficit trimmed to 10 points a few times and even trailed 6358 after a pair of Zack Bryant free throws.

William ‘HaHa’ Lee finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots, two steals and an assist. Chris Cokley and Bryant both contributed 12 points, but Bryant had six of the team’s 14 overall turnovers.

“I kept telling the guys to shoot the ball with confidence,” Ehsan said. “We shot the ball 60 percent from 3-point range in practice, Tuesday. It was unfortunate, in this building, we just have not shot the ball well.”

ing free throws in the final seconds of the game. Two other Lady Blazers assisted in the historic win. Deanna Kuzmanic contributed nine points to go along with five assists, and Angela Vendrell scored six points and led the squad in rebounding with eight boards.

Even though both teams were trading baskets early in the

Blazers show resilience, claw way their back into game for Savannah Snowden Sports Reporter savsno@uab.edu

The UAB Men’s Basketball Team grinded out a much needed win Saturday night against the Rice University Owls. The Blazers improved to 16-10 overall and 7-6 in conference play.

Throughout the game, the Blazers and the Owls played hot on each other’s heels, with the Blazers never gaining a lead of more than eight points.

In the first half, the Blazers gained a quick lead and kept it into halftime, leading 27-22. But five minutes into the second half, the Owls tied the game at 32-32.

With this tie, the Owls gained enough momentum to slow down the Blazers. However, the Blazers played close behind the Owls using effective defensive play to keep victory in reach.

“We played a real ugly game to a certain extent, and that we are able to fight down to the last minute and pull out that win,” junior Nick Norton said.

“This is just a big momentum game for us.”

With less than one minute before the buzzer, sophomore guard Nate Darling shot a three-pointer from the corner, and scored a lead for the team, 57-56. Within the last seconds of the game, the UAB Blazers shot four free throws to push their score to a 5-point lead.

first quarter, it was Marshall who took the early lead. The Blazers responded, though, going on a 7-0 run in the final minutes of first period.

The Lady Blazers saw their lead grow to as large as 36-19 in the first half, but the Thundering Herd cut into it, scoring six straight points in the final two minutes.

“The last media timeout, Coach Ehsan said it was going to come down to stops,” Norton said. “’The last four minutes, we can’t let them score,’ and we didn’t.”

The Blazers finished with 21 makes from the field with six 3- pointers. The team made 81.3 percent of attempted free throws. UAB had a combined total of 39 rebounds, 18 assists and 17 turnovers. “[The win] feels good,” Norton said. “Great for momentum and a great locker room feeling. [It was a] confidence boost.

Just a real feel good moment for all of us.”

Senior forward William ‘HaHa’ Lee, the leading scorer, collected five blocks, eight rebounds and six field goals. Norton made 100 percent of his attempted field goals, had five assists and one three-pointer. Norton also made the final four free throws to boost the Blazers to victory.

“I thought [Norton] was great defensively down the stretch there,” Ehsan said. “[He] played really, really hard. He saw an opportunity. He’s done that a lot in his career. It was a much needed win for our team, and I think it was a great final four minutes. Choppy game to start, the defense at the end really stepped up. It was very impressive.”

The Blazers’ hit the road to face La Tech Thursday, Feb. 15.

The Lady Blazers sluggishly started the third quarter, allowing Marshall to open with a 12-7, cutting the score to 43-37.

The Thundering Herd found holes in the Lady Blazers’ defense and finished the quarter with nine points to take a 49-46 lead.

The last quarter was highlighted with the two biggest shots

of the game coming from Rawls and Childress, who dumped in a layup and hit a 3-pointer to open up a 60-54 advantage against the Thundering Herd. Marshall tried to steal back the lead, but four free throws from Barnes held off the Thundering Herd’s comeback attempt and sealed the Blazers 6962 win.

The 3-pointer. Some teams shoot it all the time, some don’t, but one thing is certain, it is ruining the game of basketball.

The 3-point shot, since its introduction to Division I basketball in 1987, has grown in popularity. In that year, the 3-pointer was attempted 9.2 times per game with 290 teams in the league.

In 2015, as far as the NCAA database goes, the 3-pointer was attempted 18.58 times per game with 345 teams.

The number of 3-pointers attempted did not change the percentage of them made, however. The highest percentage of 3-point shots made was the first year it existed at 38.4 percent.

This increase in 3-point attempts has led to the decline of 2-point shot.

2015 had the fewest 2-point attempts ever in Division I basketball at 54.34 attempts. The percentage of made baskets was not the lowest in 2015, but it Gentry was close by about 2 percent.

In my opinion, this is due to the rise of players who do nothing but shoot 3-pointers. These players sometimes have other skills on the court, but some do not.

Marshall Henderson, a former Ole Miss player, is one that comes to my mind.

He was a catch-and-shoot kind of player who shot a high volume of shots. His final year at Ole Miss he attempted 16 shots a game and 12.6 of them were 3-pointers.

This style of play takes away opportunities for higher percentage shots from your big guys. These better looks provide you with a better chance to score and gives you a better statistical chance of winning the game.

When you play with this style you don’t draw as many fouls. The number of fouls per game has dropped by two since 1987, which causes players to take fewer free throws and keeps the other team’s players on the court and can make your offense one-dimensional. Just like in football, you want, and need, a balanced attack to keep the other team’s defense on their toes.

Forcing shots from outside the arc can waste possessions in a game where making the most of your possessions is paramount.

If, for instance, you were to play a team like West Virginia University, one of the best defensive teams in the nation, you will have fewer possessions to begin with as they are proficient in forcing turnovers with their full-court press. Couple that with a shot that is 20 percent less effective, per the NCAA statistical database, and you are doomed.

As the old adage goes, “You live by the three, you die by the three.” In my opinion, the 3-pointer is bad for the game of basketball.

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018

The Kaleidoscope

Sports | Page 7

SOFTBALL: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA TOURNAMENT

PHOTO BY CHRIS DENNEN/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The UAB softball team steps up to the plate for spring practice and their first games of the season.

Fresh Beginnings Lady Blazers and new coach swing for the fences Savannah Snowden Sports Reporter savsno@uab.edu

The UAB Softball Team began their 2018 campaign in Tampa, Florida, this week at the USF Wilson DeMarini Tournament.

The Lady Blazers split their first two games, winning against Illinois State 2-1 and losing against University of Michigan 0-7. Their third game was a 3-6 loss against USF. The Lady Blazers’ first game against No. 18 Michigan ended with a 7-0 loss. UAB held down Michigan for most of the game, only allowing one run in the first inning but lost their grip in the bottom of the third, allowing five runs.

UAB started strong in their offense, putting players in scoring position in the first inning, but couldn’t drive them home after a ground out and a strikeout. Similarly, in the third inning, UAB had the bases loaded, but couldn’t capitalize. In the seventh inning, UAB loaded the bases with zero outs, but Michigan pitcher Meghan Beaubien made two subsequent strikeouts and a ground out to end the game.

The Lady Blazers went

to bat a total of 27 times and had six hits. Destini England, Analyse Petree, Claire Blount and Madison Millsaps all scored hits.

It took four innings into the game against Illinois State for UAB to get on the scoreboard, but a home run

by Petree broke the 0-0 tie. Illinois State scored almost as soon as they got the home plate back, but freshman pitcher Emily Kachel was able to shut out any more hits, even with the bases loaded.

In the next inning, Blount pushed senior Katelyn Prater home with a double in the bottom half of the fifth inning to make the score 2-1.

After getting their lead back, the Lady Blazers kept Illinois State down with Blount and Kachel on the mound. Kachel threw for five innings, allowed five hits and struck out two batters. Blount threw for two innings and allowed just one hit.

England, Megan Smith, Prater, Petree and Blount all got hits during the game. Petree and Blount each got one RBI. The Lady Blazers started their only game of the day, Saturday, against host USF with a run in

the first inning.

UAB kept their lead all the way into the bottom of the fourth, but even then only allowed two runs for USF. England got all the way home in the first inning but was tagged at the base. Prater, however, was able to run home after a hit from Smith.

In the top of the fifth inning, UAB answered back with two runs of their own to retake a 3-2 lead, but USF retook the lead for good in the sixth inning.

Millsaps got on base at the top of the seventh inning, but the team was unable to move her around to home. The game ended in a 6-3 loss.

On Sunday, UAB lost both games against Georgia State and No. 2 Florida, 15-4 and 6-0 re-

spectively. The Lady Blazers made six errors that turned into four runs for Georgia State, giving them the momentum to win the game. A single fielding error followed by hitting a batter allowed Florida to gain momentum and push all six runs past the Blazers for the win.

Even with a rocky start to their season, UAB made many great plays and proved that they were a team to watch out for.

Kachel’s brilliant pitching against Florida, shutting them out for five innings, is something that other teams need to be wary of.

Petree leads the team

with her batting average of 0.46 after this weekend.

Englan and Smith follow close behind her with batting averages of 0.350 and 0.333 respectively.

UAB Head Coach Amanda Ellis notched her first career win for the green and gold during this tournament, but the Lady Blazers fell to 1-4 on the season.

UAB will return to the diamond in the Mary Nutter Classic, another multi-team event, in Cathedral City, California Feb. 17-19. The Lady Blazers will face off against Stanford, Cal Poly, Weber State, UCLA and Army.

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018

Volume 59, Issue 5

metro

8

CITY COUNCIL

LINN PARK

MERCEDES-BENZ MARATHON

PHOTO BY LAKYN SHEPARD /PHOTO EDITOR

Hundreds of runners gather early Sunday morning in rainy downtown Birmingham for the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Feb. 1. The weekend’s events attract 11,000 runners from 44 states and four countries, according to the Office of the Mayor. Tiidrek Nurme, of Estonia, won the Men’s Overall with a time of 2:18:37. Gladys Cheboi, of Grand Prairie, Texas, won the Women’s Overall with a time of 2:46:10. The event included a weekend-long expo, a children’s run, a 5K and a half-marathon.

FIVE POINTS SOUTH

PHOTO BY LAKYN SHEPARD /PHOTO EDITOR Aside from visual improvements, the Master Plan calls for new, comprehensive business district guidelines and updates to the neighborhood’s historic districts.

Alliance begins work on master plan Group seeks to revitalize city’s commercial interest in district Bella Tylicki Metro Editor btylicki@uab.edu

Located just minutes from UAB’s campus, the Five Points community is reaching for revival.

The Five Points Alliance, a group of the junction’s more impassioned residents, merchants and restauranteurs, recently released a master plan to be set into motion this year.

“The master plan is the result of four community meetings held last year in which the neighborhood helped us envision what they love and what they want to see improved,” said Steve Alexander, chair of the Alliance’s board of directors.

Two primary issues identified in these meetings were parking and panhandling.

Traffic flow is also

a significant problem for the area by nature of its landmark and namesake, the fivepoint intersection.

Beginning in 2018, the Alliance plans to alleviate these issues by making the neighborhood more walkable, adding greenspace, wider sidewalks and bike paths.

The Alliance joined forces with the UAB Planning Department to explore the prospect of a park on 11th Avenue South between 16th Street South and 18th Street South. Now, the park is in the beginning stages of development.

“It is our hope that [this] park will be the key to better illuminating and generally improving the few blocks between the dorms and the Five Points intersection so that students recognize how short that walk really is and feel comfortable taking

that stroll,” Alexander said.

The Alliance also plans to implement “Operation Facelift” which will encourage business owners in the area to update the facades of their buildings and properties.

Aside from visual improvements, the Master Plan calls for new, comprehensive business district guidelines and updates to the neighborhood’s historic districts.

The Alliance also proposed a citizen action partnership, or private security, to reinforce Five Points’ walkability.

“We consider the UAB community really important in everything we do, because we are all in this together,” Alexander said.

“We’d love to have [students’] support as we work on improving this place we all love to call home.” Alexander said.

Wreed Williams, a freshman in interna-

tional studies living on campus, said she goes to Five Points at least every other week but had not heard of the Five Points Alliance.

Her biggest qualm with the area is parking, and she said, “safety could always be improved.”

From her perspective, Five Points attracts students because of its proximity to campus and the assortment of shops and restaurants it offers.

Rebekah Kitchens, a freshman in biology also living on campus, said she goes to Five Points weekly, but she has not heard of the

Alliance either.

“One issue I’ve noticed in the Five Points area is an abundance of vacant buildings,” she said. “[It] kills the vibe.”

Like Williams, Kitchens said it is Five Points’ proximity and variety of restaurants that draw students.

More important than that, she said, is the district’s “cool and unique vibe.”

She that with efforts to combat vacancies and an influx of new businesses, students will be even more inclined to flock to the district.

Tuesday, Feb. 6, the Birmingham City Council approved the appropriation of $90 million to fund the building of a stadium as an extension of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

The city will give $3 million annually for 30 years to cover its portion of the cost of the project.

The Jefferson County Commission committed $30 million and the BJCC, the biggest contributor, will give $10.7 million annually for 30 years. Corporate sponsorships are expected to cover remaining costs.

UAB will lease the facility for football games for $4 million annually.

The council also voted to appropriate $17,180 to the Downtown Path Center, a branch of the nonprofit organization, Pathways, which provides services for homeless women and children.

These funds will go to The Day Center and the Safe Haven Shelter facilities that offer the necessary resources for women to get back on their feet.

The council voted to appropriate $4.5 million to reconfigure the junction between Highway 280 and the northbound side of Interstate 459. The city will cover one-tenth of the cost, and ALDOT and a federal match will cover the rest.

Because of a rise in daily ambulance rides from 50 to 80, the council voted to amend the City’s General Code to allow for raising the fee.

Insured riders will be virtually unaffected, but uninsured riders, who comprise 56 percent of rides and only 4 percent of revenue, will notice the small difference.

The additional revenue from this raise, an expected $1 million by the end of the year, will go to the fire department to meet increasing need.

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018

Volume 59, Issue 5

life & style

9

STRESS RELIEF

TRACK TAKES

All bow to King Kendrick Alex Jones General manager of BlazeRadio alex96@uab.edu

PHOTO BY LAKYN SHPARD/PHOTO EDITOR Insomnia Cookies has a location at Five Points South and delivers fresh-baked cookies until 3 a.m., offering everything from peanut butter to mint chocolate chip.

Treat Yo’ Self A guide to a complete day of reckless self-rewarding

Allie Milton Life & Style Reporter miltona@uab.edu

Many fans of the popular show “Parks and Recreation,” are all too familiar with characters Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford. Their philosophy of “Treat Yo’ Self,” dedicating an entire day to recklessly spending money and doing whatever they want in the name of stress relief and compensation for a hard year, caught the attention of many fans.

Though most are not necessarily willing to match the pair’s over-thetop spending, the concept of rewarding oneself for the struggles of a hard year or even a hard month have struck a chord. Especially as the first round of exams ends and students are finally settling into their semester.

While the philosophy of “Treat Yo’s Self” can extend to anything from cosmetic care to some-

thing much more expensive and unrealistic, one of its major aspects is that it is meant to be about what the individual wants or feels like they need. Various stores and locations in Birmingham can satisfy those needs.

For example, people often view massages as a luxury for a special circumstance.

However, Patrick Cook, co-owner of Life Touch Massage on 2nd Avenue South, says they do get quite a few student customers.

“A lot of students like the 30-minute massage because it’s not too time-consuming,” Cook said. “We have a deal for a four pack for $130.

These massages can be customized as deep tissue or Swedish and are perfect for exam time or to relieve stress.”

Cook also said that the overall most popular deals they offer are specials for three hourlong massages and four 90-minute mas-

sages, so they have a lot of options for people to choose from depending on how much free time they have.

While other popular pampering scenes may include nail or hair salons and nice restaurants, all of which have locations spread throughout the Birmingham area, a lot of people enjoy buying things to treat themselves.

Popular indulgences include items like bath bombs, bath salt and

“

These massages can be customized as deep tissue or Swedish and are perfect for exam time or to relieve stress.

—Patrick Cook

PHOTO BY DAWSON MILES/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The Sun Room at LifeTouch Massage, a local spa that offers student discounts.

lotion bars, all of which can be found at the popular cosmetic chain Lush, which has a location at the Summit.

“We definitely encourage people to stop, relax and take a bath,” said Alexa Griffin, floor manager at Lush. “One of our most popular items is the Twilight Bomb, which has lavender to help people relax.

Our Sleepy body lotion also has lavender. It can be used to unwind before bed as a special treat.”

L’Occitane en Provence also promotes a line of natural skin care, hair care and bath-related products, of which most are from south France.

“We use a plant base for most of our products,” said Peggy Bloodworth, store manager for L’Occitane en Provence at the Summit. “It is important to us for everything to be natural.”

The store carries hand and foot creams that are all body moisturizing and softly scented. They also have foaming baths and offer mini facials and hand massages to their customers.

After a long day, sometimes the most rewarding experience is to relax at home and watch a new movie or television show.

With Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu there are a lot of options.

Insomnia Cookies has a location at Five Points South and delivers freshly baked cookies until 3 a.m., offering everything from peanut butter to mint chocolate chip.

The philosophy of “Treat Yo’ Self” does not have to be that of absolute luxury.

Its most important principle is that of selfcare, which is immeasurably important to overall health and well-being.

Setting aside a little time or money for pleasure and enjoyment can improve performance in many areas and overall quality of life.

At this rate, Kendrick Lamar is the King Midas of Hip-Hop: meaning that anything that he touches turns to gold.

The Black Panther soundtrack is no different, as the album, curated by Lamar and Top Dawg Entertainment, is an aural masterpiece.

The soundtrack ties in perfectly to the much anticipated film.

The album features an all-star cast of artists that lend their talents to Lamar like TDE labelmates SZA, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul, as well as A-list artJones ists such as Khalid, The Weeknd and Travi$ Scott.

It seems as if Lamar’s purpose with the album was to make songs from the perspectives of the Black Panther himself, T’Challa, the movie’s main antagonist Killmonger, and the nation of Wakanda as a whole as well.

The album starts with the Black Panther intro, and from there you go on a journey into how the movie is expected to go, giving an insight to the hero and villain’s thoughts, relationships and emotions.

What also makes this album amazing is the fact that it introduces you to artists that also effectively give a sneak peek to the movie.

The “I don’t care” attitude of Killmonger is perfectly shown in songs “Paramedic!” by Northern California artists SOBxRBE and “Opps” by Vince Staples and Yugen Blakrok. The songs blend in with each other perfectly in the album. If the movie is as good as the songs on the album, this movie maybe the greatest grossing movie of all time.

Lamar did a fantastic job with this album, and it is clear he is the best rapper in the game right now.

I personally feel that this album is better than his album “DAMN” which was released last year, and he won five Grammy’s for this year.

After the critical acclaim of all of his albums, I believe that the conversation for the best rapper of all time has started for Lamar, and this album just further approves his greatness.

DJ SWOLE GRADE: A+ This album will be talked about at the end of 2018 as one of the best for a reason and may also be in the conversation for greatest movie soundtrack of all time.

Alex Jones, aka DJ Swole, is general manager of BlazeRadio and co-host of the DJ & Swole Show which airs every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Page 10 | Life & Style

The Kaleidoscope

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018

Candy

From Page 1

A twist on their chocolate “kisses,” the wrapped Hugs come with a joyous mix of milk chocolate and white crème. The chocolate has

Even Tic Tacs, which are more often consumed as mints rather than candy, released their Valentine’s Day version. The limited-edition flavor is Wild Cherry and Strawberry. The aftertaste, although sweet, also

a rich, flowy texture and a thick aroma. The combination of milk chocolate and white crème creates a coherent and soft blend, and is a perfect metaphor of what love feels like. Hershey’s aesthetically pleasing signature packaging also makes them a perfect giveaway treat.

A more condensed and less astringent variation of the conversation heart. The concept is in most ways similar to the SweetTart Hearts, in terms of the affectionate message

has a minty undertone, which makes it refreshing. The beans also have love declaration prints, in a similar manner as the SweeTart Hearts do.

So, if your loved one finds themselves coughing, you have the opportunity to offer them a piece of Tic Tacs as well as a piece of your

and shape. Flavor-wise, however, it is excessively sweet. The name claims a “very berry” flavor, which is not really apparent in the taste of the candy. Altogether, Branch’s Very Berry Conversation Hearts are below satisfactory at best.



 

  



     

      



  