2020 November/December

Dickens on the Strand celebrates another year of fun

Hundreds mourn the death of Alex Trebek

Ariana Grande releases sixth studio album

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COVID vaccine waits for stamp of approval from FDA Photo courtesy of Flickr

By Analei Berger News and Features Editor

Ever since the middle of March, life has not been the same. With the number of COVID-19 cases in Texas alone surpassing one million, a vaccine would be a crucial turning point during the global pandemic.

On November ninth, Pfizer, a drug-maker, announced that the company is in the early analysis stage of their coronavirus vaccine.

The trials indicated that this is a promising sign in developing a vaccine and is some good news during this ongoing pandemic. Pfizer developed their vaccine with another German-based drug maker called BioNTech. Pfizer released that the current vaccine has over a 90% COVID prevention rate to those trial volunteers who had evidently no prior COVID infections and if those results are to maintain constant, it could be a highly effective vaccine.

The company says that there have been no reported safety concerns with the vaccine. If one were to get this COVID vaccine, it would be administered in two doses that are roughly three weeks apart. In order for Pfizer to distribute this drug out to the public, the company needs to ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an emergency authorization in late November. If this request would be accepted, they would have to collect at least two months of safety data. As of now, the companies have not released whether or not the vaccine would prevent the severe cases where one goes into the hospital or prevents one from having symptoms all together.

It is really early during the vaccine stages and there is still much more research to be done.

After all of that, by the end of the year there is a chance that the company would manufacture enough doses for between 15 to 20 million

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

people. This would be the first real COVID vaccine that makes it to the late stages of trial.

“I don’t want to dampen any enthusiasm for this vaccine. I just want us to be realistic.

For a vaccine to really have maximal impact, it’s going to have to also reduce severe illness and death. And we just don’t know yet,”

got COVID-19. The trials were blinded so neither the doctors nor volunteers knew who got what, the only people that knew were an independent board. These are good results considering that as of now the FDA has set a 50% standard for a company to be able to submit their vaccine for an emergency authorization.

Michael Osterholm, Di- Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons If Pfizer’s vaccine got rector of the University the emergency authorization of Minnesota’s Center for from the FDA, it would be Infectious Diseases Research, said. distributed to millions, whom will be monitored Roughly 44,000 people were part of closely by the CDC and FDA to ensure there are the trials, half got a placebo of just saltwa- no severe side effects. As far as the people who ter while the other half got the actual vaccine. were part of the trials of the vaccine, they will Out of those 44,000 people, only 94 of them continue to be watched for the next two years.

Screen grab from Positions music video

Back in May, Pfizer administered four different vaccines to volunteers and of those four vaccines, they picked the vaccine that had the least amount of major side effects. Some of the side effects that have been reported have been fatigue and a slight fever.

Once the vaccine is ready to be distributed to the public, there have been some debates on who will receive it the earliest. First and foremost, it is going to the doctors and nurses that work around the virus daily. Some say that it should be administered to the elderly who are most at risk first and the people with underlying health conditions. Others are saying that it should be given to the younger college students who go off to their university and bring COVID-19 back to their households.

Pfizer and BioNTech are not the only companies that have a vaccine in the late stages of testing. There are ten others around the world and with the success of Pfizer’s vaccine, it is making others optimistic and encouraging in the fact that maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Some of the other countries that currently have their own clinical trials are: England, China, Thailand, Singapore, India and South Korea.

Moderna, another company that has produced a vaccine with a 94.1% effective rate of COVID prevention and an astounding 100% COVID prevention rate of the severe symptoms that COVID has to offer. On November 30, Moderna plans to apply to the FDA the same as Pfizer previously did on November 20. That would make two very successful vaccines in the works. The FDA will meet in December to review both of these vaccines. It is expected that some of the first vaccines will be administered in late December.

If there is more than one vaccine available around the world it could help aid the demand compared to if there was only one working vaccine. While the pandemic is nowhere near over, this is a good sign that one day life before the pandemic could become the new normal once again.

Joe Biden wins 2020 election, becoming next President-Elect

By Aivry Zamora Assistant Editor A record number of Americans turned out to vote in this year’s presidential race between President Donald Trump and now President-Elect Joe Biden. President-Elect Biden won the presidency with over 74.4 million votes, garnering more votes than any presidential candidate in American history as 161 million Americans casted their ballot in the election.

After four years in office, current President Trump was unable to secure a second term making him one of 11 presidents to lose re-election.

Some of this year’s high turnout may be attributed to the expansion of access to mail-in ballots and early voting, with many states changing their policies due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 100 million ballots were cast during the early voting period, a large increase from prior years. In the weeks leading up to the November third election, polls showed that many of the fault lines dividing Democrats and Republicans including age, race and education were beginning to narrow, influencing the results in Biden’s favor.

Since the results of the election were announced, President Trump has claimed that voter fraud caused his loss of the presidency. His current fight to prove this has been unsuccessful with the United States Justice Department having uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election.

“There’s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essential-

ly to skew the election results. And the DHS and DOJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven’t seen anything to substantiate that,” William Barr, Attorney General, said.

President Trump has long railed against the investigation into whether his 2016 cam-

to attend the inauguration of President-Elect Biden into the White House with many suspecting him to refuse to cede the presidency.

Since his victory, President-Elect Biden has introduced his picks for this economic policy team including Janet Yellen for Treasury Secre-

paign was coordinating with tary, Neera Tanden, as his Photo courtesy of Unsplash Russia, but he and Republichoice to lead his Office of can allies had hoped the reManagement and Budget, sults would be delivered before the 2020 elec- Cecilia Rouse as Chair of the Council of Ecotion and would help sway voters. So far, there nomic Advisers, Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo as has been only one criminal case, a guilty plea Deputy Treasury Secretary and Jared Bernstein from a former FBI lawyer to a single false state- and Heather Boushey as members of the White ment charge. He has stated that he does not plan House Council of Economic Advisers. He reit-

erated promises that his economic goals would focus on providing access to affordable health care, child-care, sick leave and family leave, investing in infrastructure and clean energy, as well as calling on Congress to pass a robust COVID-19 relief package.

“I know times are tough, but I want to let you know that help is on the way,” Biden, President-Elect, said.

A voter analysis from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University shows that youth voter turnout (ages 18 to 29) surged by around eight percent this year compared to 2016. Based on CIRCLE’s estimate, 53% of eligible youth voters casted votes in this election versus 45% in 2016. While young voters favored President Trump in a handful of states, a nationwide 62% of young voters casted their ballot for President-Elect Biden compared to 35% for President Trump, according to estimates from the New York Times. President-Elect Biden’s priorities surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, systemic racism and climate change are said to have been what swayed young voters in this election.

“They see that the issues that matter the most to them are on the ballot, and I think four years of Trump being in office is also a really good primer to get young people excited,” Heather Greven, at NextGen America, said.

Predictions surrounding the progressive nature of young Americans point to a future surrounding the resolution of civil and social rights that have gone long unattended. This uptake of social outrage has been fueled by social media, namely TikTok and its extreme influence on GenZ culture and politics. The election of Biden is what many are referring to as a “breath of air” giving way to a new era in the next four years of his presidency.

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OPINION

EDITORIAL

Arrington’s Advice: Escaping reality to cope

By Arrington Linder Editor-in-Chief As each day brings more fear and uncertainty, many turn to fantasy worlds and music to ease their fears about reality and escape the world we live in. Escapism is defined as “the avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc.,” as stated by dictionary.com. For example, devoting large amounts of time to a series or certain artist and not only enjoying their work, but using it as a way to distance yourself from reality and as a coping mechanism. While it can be argued that escapism could be dangerous because some people might rely on it too heavily, it is a great way to take a step back from reality and focus on something less draining, when practiced healthily.

Escapism is not necessarily something you practice, it can be doing something as simple as listening to music and focusing on only it. Although I listen to music during school and while doing work, often times I listen to it to when I am extremely overwhelmed with schoolwork and need to ease my anxiety or to step back from

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a time can be extremely therapeutic, there is a fine line between taking a small step back from everything and completely ignoring your problems. And while I may not be the most credible person to speak on this, as I tend to procrastinate a lot, I am slowly beginning to realize that I, along with many others, need to become better about learning the dif-

harder than ever to just push pass the struggles of this year, both at work and at school, not to mention the stress of teachers that has since been rubbing off on the students. I can tell though that most are trying to hide the stress of this season – myself included – and are looking at any possible outlet to increase their serotonin.

And although it seems cheesy, I encourage others to look for the small things that made them happy, even before the pandemic or even the things that have kept them busy to help ease their fears.

Personally, coronavirus has put me in to such a cluster fork of situations. But more recently I have found that the littlest, Christmas-related things have increased my happiness. For one, Starbucks’ hot chocolate is all I think about nowadays and have definitely been spending all my money on getting them since it has gotten into the 40’s and 50’s. Along with the colder months also comes the endless Christmas and holiday related movies and TV shows.

Sometimes I watch them with others, but sometimes it is nice to be alone. It may sound silly, but coloring and crafts with friends has relieved a lot of my own anxiety about gift giving and studying for exams. Nevertheless, I think what a lot of people fail to realize is that the holidays are not just about spending time with family, it is also about taking time for yourself and recovering from any stress that the previous year brought, before making the annual New Year’s resolution list.

Although I cannot give anyone orders, I can give advice. Try by first taking time for yourself, even if it is a couple of hours. Maybe watch a show, take a nap, scroll through TikTok, or just listen to some music, anything one does not get to do very often to relax. After that, try to designate space throughout the day to complete the tasks

is complicated, but one way to help make sure you complete all of your responsibilities is to find a way to incorporate your escapism methods in your work. For example, if one of the things you do to escape this world is to watch a certain series, you can put music on in the background that reminds you of the series or is directly from the series. By finding a way to incorporate some of your escapism methods into your daily life, this can allow for ways to cope with stressful situations without having to fully remove yourself from reality.

With the current pandemic, many find current events more stressful than usual. By using escapism amongst the pandemic, this can help many people come to terms with the current state of the world and let them escape to a better one. There are certain movies or songs that I heavily rely on to keep me sane until the weekend, until I can fully detach from reality.

For me personally, it feels as if there is a constant cloud of anxiety surrounding me and most of the time there is not much I can do about it. Healthy escapism is beneficial in leaving your problems from this world behind and traveling to somewhere without any of your stress or worries. Having something I can run to when things become more unbearable than usual is extremely helpful in getting me through week after week of school, stress, life and anything else I could possibly struggle with.

“People talk about escapism as if it is a bad thing…Once you have escaped, once you come back, the world is not the same as when you left it. You come back to it with skills, weapons, knowledge you did not have before. Then you are better equipped to deal with your current reality.”

-Neil Gaiman ference between taking time for myself and putting off all of my issues. Unfortunately, there is no set solution to differentiating between healthy and unhealthy escapism, people can typically look back and assume that their ways of escaping are healthy if they were able to complete their desired work or not.

Taking part in escapism in a healthy way

Leah’s Lessons: Finding joy over the holidays

Jamey Majewski Wynette Jameson Arrington Linder Leah Burnam Andrew Stell Aivry Zamora Alex Martinez Analei Berger Andrew Stell Aivry Zamora Analei Berger Jessica McDermand Fabiola Figueroa Aguayo Jordan Johnson Alex Martinez Chloe Tankink Jessica McDermand Photographers: Chloe Tankink Fabiola Figueroa Aguayo Jessica McDermand Pablo Anton

the real world and delve into the music.

Focusing on only the lyrics and clearing my mind of distractions allows me to unplug from everything and shift all of my attention to the world created by music.

In this world, I am able to make and follow stories created by the music, which helps me stray further away from reality.

Another common way of escapism that many do not even realize they are doing is becoming somewhat dependent on certain movies and shows for comfort. Everyone has at least one movie that they have seen numerous times because they either genuinely enjoy the movie and plot, or they find comfort in it. Regardless of the reasoning, there is at least one movie that you always come back to. While simply just watching the movie or show might not necessarily be considered escapism, constantly turning back to a series because of the solace it brings you and placing yourself into the world, is.

When it comes down to it, many of us will not achieve our dream lives. Everyone wants different things in life and many of our dreams are too farfetched to achieve.

By being able to escape to a fake world created by someone writing down ideas on a napkin in a coffee shop or inspired by current events that happened in the world at the time, we can pretend, even for a small moment, that we are someone else and the problems in our lives do not exist. This is where it becomes dangerous.

Although escaping our problems for

By Leah Burnam Editor-in-Chief The holidays are something almost everyone dreads for some reason or another.

Now do not get me wrong, I love Christmas time and everything festive, especially since winter is my favorite time of year and I was born on Christmas Eve. However, now more than ever, I have been stressed about everything related to shopping for my closest friends and family and now, finals week.

Since the uproar of COVID-19 and being in a pandemic for nearly a year, life has never felt crazier. Both mental and physical health has definitely affected kids at Creek and around the world and I can empathize with those who just want 2020 to end. Everyone seems to be working

week, or in this case the rest of the year. Eat right, but eat what is right for you, what makes you feel good and what makes you happy. I know for me, I will definitely be getting more Chick-Fil-A this season. Lastly, try to maintain the joy that is in your life or is about to come.

I know upcoming events like finals week and even break have also been circling through the minds of students. For some, creating and understanding a set schedule can help. Final exams have already been set in stone and it is important to realize how quickly everything is coming up and how to manage time as best as possible the next week and a half. It might sound tedious, but creating a study plan or even setting aside ten to thirty minutes each day to focus on preparing can make all the difference come test-taking time. Try switching up study locations and going to a local café…I mean it is the holidays after all, I think everyone deserves to live out their Hallmark movie dreams of sitting in a coffee shop on a cold winter’s afternoon.

And once again, surrounding yourself with supportive people who can help in any way possible help deepen not just the understanding of a subject, but also the true meaning of the holidays.

Whether your way to feel better is being alone, with others, or just simply partaking in a relaxing and fun activity that has made them the happiest this holiday season, I hope that joy continues and everyone has a successful finals week and an eventful winter break!

“Finding time to take care of yourself during the holidays is not selfish. If you are giving to everyone except yourself, the holidays become a chore instead of having enough energy to love yourself and those around you.”

-Anonymous being avoided: homework, cleaning, chores, etc.

Then, spend some free time with family or even close friends. Build up the relationships that may have been neglected throughout the pandemic, the ones that used to be or still are, a light in the chaos. Treating your body and mind with care can make a significant impact on the rest of the

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By Alex Martinez Managing Editor “I still don’t even know how to pay taxes,” something you might have likely heard from a high schooler. But how reasonable is what they are saying? Personal finance is a fundamental aspect of being an adult, one that can mean the difference between prosperity and poverty. An understanding of budgeting, saving, debt and investing earlier in life would go a long way in better equipping teams to be financially responsible adults. Yet schools across America do not require financial management for graduation. While schools do offer business classes, only a small percentage of the graduating class actually takes them. Schools need to offer comprehensive personal finance classes and incentivize them in some way.

Learning a real-world skill in high school could surely help ensure that future generations are more economically savvy and therefore more likely to succeed. There is a need to teach kids personal finance in school, 38% of American households have credit card debt and 33% of Americans have $0 saved for retirement. Instilling a sense of financial literacy in high school

By Andrew Stell Online Editor Though the word goodbye is just that, a composure of letters, created by the same human mind that would evolve to be scourged by these seven letters, ‘goodbye’ holds such a strong grasp of the human condition. Modern society has advanced countless leaps and accomplished feats largely deemed impossible by civilizations of prior decades, all in an attempt to further evade this foul word of goodbye; but no matter the level of human advancement, the hardest thing for one to do is to say goodbye.

As stated by Robert Fuller, Ph.D. in Psychology, states, goodbyes are the ‘poignant preludes’ that mark the beginning of withdrawals that can deprive our psyches

EDITORIAL

Martinez Mentions: Financing for the future would better equip them for being adults. I would imagine parents would have an easier time sleeping knowing their child knows how to save money, maintain good credit, make smart financial decisions and budget their spending. Young adults would not have to go through the trouble of making financial mistakes in order to learn, instead they could simply use what they learned coming out of high school. Young adults would better assimilate into society and be ready to face any financial problem that they might come across.

Economically speaking, there is great merit to teaching personal finance to high schoolers. There is significantly less likelihood of accumulating debt, something that on a large scale would benefit the economy. More financially competent young adults means more jobs, less debt and more money. A generation of more financially knowledgeable adults would make a positive impact on both the country and their lives.

Personal finance is not the easiest topic to learn and understand. Most people generally turn to their parents, which is a great source of information and is the source of financial education for 37% of students. However, teaching this integral skill in schools would ensure that future children who cannot learn from their parents or elsewhere leave high school confident in their personal financing abilities.

An understanding of budgeting is something that you will use for the entirety of your life and is something that many people never actually learn. Schools across America should adopt personal finance classes into their curriculum and some-

how incentivize students to take it, or simply make it mandatory for graduation. If you have been in a high school, you know a frequent complaint of students is being forced to take a class that they say they will never use in life. The accuracy of this statement is questionable, but what is not questionable is that students would not say that about personal finance classes. High school is about ensuring that students are prepared for the next stage in their life, whether that be higher education

cause daily stress and can lead to divorce, poor health, depression and bankruptcy.

Even a basic knowledge of personal finance can help people avoid financial issues or missteps that lead to worse problems. Truly quantifying something as broad as financial issues is impossible, but what is important is that most of it is avoidable through comprehensive personal finance education.

There are definitely drawbacks to this plan. Firstly, simply offering a course will not guarantee that high schoolers will learn all of the information and not make financial mistakes in the future. No matter how well-versed some students are with personal financing, they are still not protected from getting a lot of debt or making any other poor financial decision. But educating students on personal finance is all that can be done in preparing them financially for adult life.

The merits are undeniable. Incorporating personal finance education in high schools across America would give students an understanding of one of the most important life skills they will need for the rest of their life at a young age. Students who could budget their finances, save money early, avoid debt and maintain a good credit score would face a lot less economic troubles as an adult and have less issues becoming an economically responsible, active member of society. Schools are able to provide students with that crucial life skill, yet do not capitalize on it, or even offer it in some cases. Doing so would better equip future generations for becoming an adult.

“It’s pretty much how we get anything added to the curriculum. When parents said children needed to be computer literate, the schools started responding. The same thing is true of basic financial literacy.”

-Elizabeth Warren or entering the workforce. Either way, students deserve to be taught personal financing, something that every student will use regardless of their career path. This applicability and relevance in adult life is crucial to surviving and is absolutely more important as opposed to some of the courses taught in school.

A knowledge of budgeting and handling money goes a long way in quality of life. An issue like debt has potential to be a serious hardship on someone’s life but is preventable through financial education. Financial issues are detrimental in a variety of ways, they can

Stell Speaks: Valuing the virtue of life in now of that which we use to maintain our selfhood.

Depriving the mind of normalcy is something that all 2020 survivors can relate to, as many of us have struggled to say goodbye to the life they once had. This explanation for why we as humans find goodbyes so difficult is only one of the many contributing factors that make this word the most difficult to pronounce.

As Fuller writes, granted in far more eloquent words than me, he notes that goodbyes simply deprive humans of the components of their identity. Letting go of a friend or family member is the most closely associated equivalent of saying goodbye to a large portion of yourself. So with this knowledge, why would society choose to simply repeat the process of acquiring soulmates, to simply be forced to say goodbye to them after an unknown amount of time? Is the repetition of this painful process just a flaw of the human design, or an attribute of the human psyche, forcing us to grow to accept that those in life must learn to allow things to come and go with time.

But one thing remains evident without scientific reasoning: companionship in any form requires the nuanced art of letting go.

Though the pain of the eventual goodbye to a loved one persists, it is integral to dwell only on what makes the triumphs and

professionals such as Ralph Ryback, M.D., label this as ‘mental inertia.’ Inertia being the property of matter in which matter tends to remain unchanged —thanks Bill Nye, Science Guy— this could be applied to the human mind as well. We fall into a sort of rhythm, learning to associate everything with those around us.

Those that are exiting our lives may be found in the trivial activities that we partake in day after day. This creates a greater effect on goodbyes, as the brain is left in a freefall, clinging to the memories of what was once unchanging.

As any human, I have become well versed in the art of saying goodbye, but instead of sharing with you the useless knowledge of my tragic “goodbye story”, I share the outlook I hope to adopt. As a credible source entitled ‘Winnie the Pooh’ states, the goal in one’s life is to have something that you dread with your entire existence to say goodbye to. 2020 has shown many of us the magnificent dread of fearing for your loved ones’ life. It has been a far too commonly shared experience your brain fluctuate in response. The ‘feel-good’ of considering your final words to a best friend, chemicals such as endorphins, norepinephrine the final ‘love you, bye’ of an impromptu phone and dopamine can become inactive or decline call. So I close this composure of loosely in production. Yet another contributing factor philosophical anecdotes and tribulations of that makes letting go such a difficult process. existence with the simple theorem that can be Not only do we resist change, but often times found on any fortune cookie, live life with others we actively counteract the process of change; as if it is your last life with the ones you have. downfalls of companionship worth it, rather than the grim knowledge that all things end.

“Change is not an event. It’s a psychological experience. That’s why it’s so difficult,” writes Potential Psychology Australia. While you may view change as a single action that is happening at one time, it is a far more complex process than that. Often when change occurs, the chemicals in

“...Every story of separation is different, but I think we all understand that basic, wrenching emotion that comes from saying goodbye, not knowing if we’ll see that person again - or perhaps knowing we won’t.”

-Luanne Rice

CORE VALUES

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Trustworthiness is acting with honesty in all that a student does, according to CCISD. Senior Cameron Edwards “is always honest about if he has turned in work or not and does not make excuses. It’s refreshing,” Ms. Riley Warden, chemistry and forensics teacher, said.

Edwards believes that lying will not get him anywhere and he naturally prefers to tell the truth. “I am normally honest and responsible all the time, whether it be to my family or in school,” Edwards said.

Trustworthiness Respect is valuing yourself and others, according to CCISD. Junior Noah Huang “is a hardworker and a thoughtful students who always goes the extra mile,” Mr. Alexander Suchman, algebra II and AP statistics teacher, said. Huang’s mom has inspired him to be respectful and in his day to day life, Huang shows respect by “respecting my peers everyday while at school,” Huang said. According to Mr. Suchman, Huang is also kind to his teachers and “is a pleasure to have in class.”

Respect

Responsibility is owning your choices, according to CCISD. Avery Dennard shows responsibility by always putting in effort and being “brave enough to answer questions,” Robert Morales, chemistry teacher, said. Dennard’s “parents always instilled responsibility in [hersic] from a young age.” In order to show responsibility in her everyday life, Dennard keeps a planner to help her stay organized and pushes herself “to do the best [she-sic] can,” Dennard said.

Responsibility Fairness is playing by the rules and considering the needs of others, according to CCISD. Theresa Brown shows fairness by working “with her classmates in a way that does not make any of her collaborators work harder than her,” Mrs. Emily Osburn, AP environmental science teacher, said. Although no one has specifically inspired Brown to show fairness in her everyday life, the events where Brown herself was treated unfairly inspired her “to act in a way that didn’t let others feel how I felt then,” Brown said.

Caring

Fairness

Caring is being king to others, according to CCISD. Savannah Leary shows that she cares by “always [going-sic] out of her way to do special things for people and [checking-sic] on her peers, teachers and friends,” Mrs. Becki Bryan, geometry, pre-cal and PALS teacher, said. Leary’s parents have continued to inspire her day in and day out by teaching her to be kind and caring. She even shows how caring she is by standing by others. “I make sure the people around me are always okay and they know they are not alone,” Leary said.

Citizenship is working to improve your school, community and country, according to CCISD. Jonathan Guillen constantly shows citizenship by always greeting his classmates in the beginnning of class and offering to help them if his teacher is busy. “He pays attention to students around him, even if he does not know him,” Mrs. Paula White, algebra 2 and calculus teacher, said. “My personal hero, Tyler Okonma [Tyler, the Creator-sic], makes me strive to do better everyday,” Guillen said.

Citizenship

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NEWS

NASA’s SpaceX launches Crew-1 Mission into orbit

By Fabiola Figueroa Aguyao Sports Editor

was evidently named for its when NASA began looking Photo courtesy of Unsplash use of nine engines and was at private companies such designed so that its first stage as Boeing, Sierra Nevada could be reused. In 2019, SpaceX made histo- Corp., Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX to ry when it launched and landed a single Fal- provide American rockets so NASA would not con 9 successfully for the fourth time, a feat have to rely on the Soyuz, bringing back human previously unseen for orbital rockets and flew spaceflight capabilities to the United States. using a recycled nose cone for the first time.

The Commercial Crew Program was estabThese historic moments are hinting at the lished in 2010 with the intention to usher in a commercialization opportunities in space trav- new era of spaceflight in the U.S. and this meant el that have been a long time coming. The re- competition for the private rocket companies.

The program was structured as a multi-tiered competition, with companies bidding for NASA contracts to build the spacecrafts under specific instructions set forth by the agency. Boeing and SpaceX ended up being the two favorites to sign with NASA and both ended up signing over one-billion-dollar contracts, but they were still competing to provide NASA with spacecrafts that would transport astronauts to the ISS in a safe and efficient manner.

“Boeing had the advantage of having a long history of working with NASA, a long history with the shuttle program. And, you know, knowing how to do these kinds of spacecraft, SpaceX was new to the game. And I think their advantage was their flexibility, their speed and their culture that they could work in this fixed price, more commercial like environment,” Cristina Chaplain, a former Director at the Government Accountability Office, said.

The launch of the Dragon capsule earlier in May made SpaceX the clear victor.

“This is a dream come true for me and everyone at SpaceX…It is the culmination of an incredible amount of work by the SpaceX team, by NASA and by a number of other partners in the process of making this happen. You can look at this as the results of a hundred thousand people roughly when you add up all the suppliers and everyone working incredibly hard to make this day happen,” Musk said.

With the Resilience rocket and its crew successfully docking to the ISS the next step is for the astronauts to conduct science and maintenance for a six-month period. The spacecraft will be delivering over 500 pounds of cargo that include new science hardware and science experiments. Studies using chips with tissue that mimics the structure and function of human organs to understand the role of microgravity on human health and diseases and translate those findings to improve human health on Earth, growing radishes in different types of light and soils as part of ongoing efforts to produce food in space, and testing a new system to remove heat from NASA’s next generation spacesuit will all be conducted in the orbiting laboratory of the rocket.

Bond, a character from a well-known book ger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only series at the time that was gaining recogni- Live Twice (1967), Diamonds are Forever tion. The original series was written by Ian (1971) and Never Say Never Again (1983).

Connery was the first actor to play and Sean Connery is a well-known name Fleming although it was the screen adaption that brought the book further publicibring life to the role of James Bond and as in the acting industry, from playing the renowned spy, 007, otherwise known as James Bond, to starring in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade alongside Harrison Ford, Connery has left a lasting mark on his audience. Sadly though, on October 31, Connery passed away.

Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on August 25, 1930. Growing up, World War II was ongoing and Connery eventually dropped out of school at the age of 13 to help provide for his family. Later on, for a few years, he joined the Royal Navy. However due to medical issues such as stomach ulcers, Connery had been released from the service. After these events came to pass, he eventually returned home to work many different odd jobs. Through his various jobs he managed to save enough money to join a local weight lifting club where he was later nominated for a competition by the other members of his club. Although, following the events of the competition, Connery learned that he had been scouted by a director who wanted to speak with him. Soon after, he was offered a position to play a part in a musical, which opened a new door for Connery in the he left the franchise, he also Photo courtesy of Wikipedia world of acting, television and movies. ty for years, even decades after.

Connery went on to left behind a long legacy Connery, after his performance in the musical, decided to take on acting as a per- play in a total of seven movies in the fran- that is still surviving to this day. The role manent career. He was soon cast and played chise as James Bond before he passed the has been rekindled through actors over time a few minor roles in television, as well as torch off to another actor, Roger Moore. and has now officially been featured in 24 acquiring a few movie roles, before hitting Movies from the James Bond franchise movies and counting. Many of the actors his big break with the James Bond mov- that he starred in include: Dr. No (1962), who found themselves playing the role of ies. In 1962, Connery was casted as James From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfin- James Bond after Connery, were inspired

by his portrayal of the character and tried to match his influential effect on the role. While Connery himself, went on to act in a broader scope of movies and earn many awards. Including numerous awards for his success in the film industry and life such as his Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Achievement in 1999 and in 2000 when he was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Connery’s accomplishments exceed that of the acting industry and are recognized worldwide.

When Connery passed away on October 31, fans of both his highly famed and or lesser-known roles, were left to grieve online and share their thoughts as a community.

“It is such a loss by Sir Sean Connery’s passing. He left us with positive memories over his lifetime of achievements. He inspired generations by showing us what was possible and how to be a better human being,” John Hiller, commenter on the official James Bond Twitter post, said.

Many people shared their thoughts on these social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, as a way to connect and even learn something new about Connery’s life. Many commenters also pointed out the different roles they had not realized Connery held, such as Time Bandits. Which was a movie made in 1981 that followed the story of a young historian and his adventures. Taking both an adventurous and fantasy genre, this is a movie that Connery used to explore different roles after his James Bond role came to a close.

Connery passed away in his sleep, while staying at his home in the Bahamas and was surrounded by loved ones. Many people feel the impact of Connery’s death in more ways than one and although he passed away, he continues to live on within the many roles he played over the course of his lifetime.

The triumph of the launch of SpaceX’s Resilience spaceship carrying four astronauts and the docking on the International Space Station marks a significant moment for the future of space travel. For the first time ever, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is sending astronauts to space by using private companies.

The Crew-1 mission flew Commander Michael Hopkins, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Mission Specialist, Soichi Noguchi on November 15. After having to delay the launch time due to weather and brief delays with the inner seal of a spacecraft hatch, the rocket finally lifted off at 7:27 p.m. Eastern time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Resilience rocket, a name that the Dragon crew thought of in light of this year’s many challenges, is due to remain in space for a six-month period.

“It marks the end of the development phase of the system… It may not seem that profound right now, but I believe 20 years from now we’re going to look back at this time as a major turning point in our exploration and utilization of space…With this milestone NASA and SpaceX have changed the historical arc of human space transportation,” Phil McAlister, NASA Director of Commercial Spaceflight Development, said.

The launch comes only about six months after SpaceX’s first crewed flight of a Dragon capsule, a capsule the company made in 2010 which became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the ISS, with astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken.

SpaceX is one of the very few private rocket companies to exist. Created by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, a sort of jack-of-alltrades who co-founded the electronic payment

firm PayPal, is the CEO of the electric-carmaker Tesla and the creator of both the green energy company SolarCity and infrastructure and tunnel construction service The Boring Company.

SpaceX was created in 2002 and first made headlines when Musk launched the Falcon 9 in 2010. The Falcon 9 was the succeeding rocket from SpaceX’s original Falcon 1, the first liquid-fueled rocket to make orbit. The Falcon 9

tirement of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, a historic program launched in 1981 that sent multiple astronauts into space as well as accomplished several missions during its duration, in 2011 after the tragedy of Columbia in 2003 and piling expenses led to the administration’s reliance of Russia’s spacecraft, the Soyuz, to conduct its transportation of astronauts to the ISS. However, this partnership would soon end

Sean Connery leaves behind 007 legacy after passing

By Jessica McDermand Entertainment Editor

AROUND CREEK

7

Dickens on the Square implements new safety procedures

By Jessica McDermand Entertainment Editor Galveston is well-known for their history and this year is no different as Dickens on the Square continues as it adapts to new Covid-19 friendly rules. Dickens on the Square is a longtime tradition of Galveston that has been around for nearly 50 years. This is a celebration put on annually in December by the Galveston Historical Foundation and is held on the Strand. The event is geared towards allowing the visitors to experience a Victorian-styled holiday. With use of a holiday market, many people can try new foods, find new crafts or just visit the vendors.

The Galveston Historical Foundation originally went by the name of The Galveston Historical Society and was created in 1871. Then in 1954, the original group combined with another organization and became what is known today as the Galveston Historical Foundation. The purpose of this organization is to keep the history of Galveston alive and celebrate it in numerous forms and fashions. One of the most popular events put on by this organization is none other than Dickens on the Square. The Galveston Historical Foundation holds this tradition in very high regard and believes it is an important part of the year. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the organization believes that the public would benefit from this event being that it is a much-needed reprieve from the dayto-day strain created by the virus and the restrictions put in place to stop the spread.

“Our goal for 2020 is to offer an ex-

perience, while modified within current public health guidelines, constructed as a safe and congenial environment to enjoy our traditional festival and special events.

We hope that everyone can join us and adhere to safety guidelines while enjoying some of your favorite Dickens vendors and performers,” galvestonhistory.org said.

Although this is not the normal celebration of Dickens on the Square, the Galveston

ic Seaport and Pier 22. At galvestonhistory. org/events/dickens-on-the-strand, there is more information on the approved plan that the Galveston Historical Foundation plans to use this year including specific rules, masks, location of entrances and exits and where sanitation stations are placed around the squares for the convince of the visitors.

There are multiple squares located around the strand and within Galveston and

Photo courtesy of Flickr Historical Foundation is ateach square can be entered tempting to reconstruct and with the purchase of a ticket implement factors that visitors are used to per individual. The two time slots offered seeing every year. Part of the approved plan for events that ran on the fifth and sixth of for the celebration is that there will be mul- December, are ten am to two pm then from tiple locations and sites to limit crowds and two-thirty pm until six-thirty pm, wrapping large groups of people being surrounded by up around dinnertime. The tickets themone another for long periods of time. These selves cost 20 dollars for adults, ten dollars locations are: Hendley Green, Old Galveston for six-to-18-year old’s and children who Square, Saengerfest Park, Galveston Histor- are under five are free of cost. Every person

who was planning on attending needed to have a ticket prior to their arrival so they would be admitted quickly. Another quick yet important detail though about Dickens on the Square is that all of those who wore a Victorian Costume were given a keepsake from the Dickens on the Strand event. In most years, there is usually large groups of people, although rules and guidelines posted may have found safer ways to practice limiting large numbers of people from gathering in one place.

Many locals love the traditional event and go every year and some pictures can even be seen on the website’s header. On Facebook under the account for the Galveston Dickens on the Strand celebration, there are reviews listed saying that the Galveston Dickens on the Square celebration is rated as a four-point-nine out of five-star experience.

“Most enjoyable experiences! Wonderful people with great attitudes! Never met a stranger. Can’t wait for next year!” Mark Broussard, who left a review on Facebook, said.

Many others have commented on how they enjoy going year after year and appreciate the family atmosphere of the event.

Although Covid-19 has put many barriers up between people, there are still organizations such as the Galveston Historical Foundation which are attempting to replicate a sense of normalcy by continuing to put on events such as this, while adhering to the rules and restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19 from furthering. The Dickens on the Square celebration is a yearly event that has been altered due to Covid-19, although due to careful planning the Galveston Historical Foundation had found a way to still have the event, even by giving out free masks to visitors who were in need of one to ensure the safety of others.

Harris County opens and updates new pet resource center

By Fabiola Figueroa Aguyao Sports Editor The Harris County Animal Shelter Center is making a huge update to its facilities by opening a new pet saving resource center to the public. The 50,000 square foot resource center replaced the formerly known Harris County Animal Shelter which has been providing its services since it was first built in 1986. Harris County Pets, the name of the new pet center, was made possible after county voters approved a $24 million bond proposition in 2015 and has since been completed on October 28 and is located on the same property at 612 Canino Road, Houston.

The facility provides a pet and customer friendly space for adoption, foster, animal transportation, animal control and wellness centers. In addition, the center is also housing a capacity of up to 525 dogs and cats, which according to Harris County is a huge improvement to the previous shelter that was only equipped to hold 12,000 animals per year but was averaging 24,000.

“The new Harris County Pets Resource Center will help our Veterinary Public Health Division deliver enhanced programs that will save many more pets and will allow us [to] expand our services to both residents and to furry family members alike,” Michael White, Director of Veterinary Medicine, Master of Science, Director of Veterinary Public Health at Harris County Public Health said.

According to the press release, the pet center also includes new features that were not present in the old facility. Some features include indoor/outdoor kennel

runs for dogs, pet grooming rooms, cat condos, outdoor and indoor meet and greets for potential adopters to interact with dogs and indoor acquaintance rooms.

The center already seems to be a hit with Harris County Judge, Lina Hidalgo, who visited and toured the facilities on November second.

ty as it will provide opportunities for a healthy and safe community,” Umair A. Shah, Medical Doctor, Master of Public Health, Executive Director of HCPH, said.

The new facility has already made a big difference. The previous Harris County Animal Shelter has on multiple occasions been overwhelmingly overcrowded with

“There are many Photo courtesy of Harris County Pets furry friends over the years. wonderful pets here “We are always [at] and it’s something to bring joy during overcapacity, and in the summer, we were this time of difficulty,” Hidalgo said. up to 400-500 animals at the shelter. FortuOfficials also explained that con- nately, it’s come back down. This morning struction of a four-section dog park we had about 355 animals—115 cats and and pavilion is underway and slat- 240 dogs—so even in our light season, we’re ed for completion by the end of 2020. still grossly overcapacity,” White said.

“This is an exciting time for our As a no-kill shelter, meaning Harcommunity. We thank residents and ris County is legally not allowed to turn elected leaders from the Harris County away animals that are healthy or treatable, Commissioners Court for their support which means that overcrowding is bound in making this fantastic facility a reali- to happen. Previously when the animal

shelter was at overcapacity, workers were forced to house multiple dogs and cats together. The fact was made worse when pet owners would abandon their pets at the shelter because they could not or would not take care of them anymore. In fact, in 2019 a video of a man forcefully dragging three dogs into the shelter went locally viral when it was shared on Facebook, revealing the sad truths animal shelters experience.

The COVID-19 pandemic also negatively affected the animal shelter. The shelter, along with many others across the Houston area, experienced increased intakes, fewer adoptions and fewer fosters. However, even amidst this pandemic, the shelter’s pleadings for fosters were met with an overwhelming response of the Harris County community’s support.

“We have received hundreds of inquiries through our foster email over the last several days from people wanting to foster animals at our shelter,” Eddie Miranda, Senior Public Information Officer for Harris County Public Health and the Harris County Animal Shelter, said.

In March, 800 animals left the shelter, finding forever-homes, foster families, rescues and returns to owners.

The new shelter will hopefully be able to produce even higher numbers of adoptions and foster families but it will surely need the help of the Harris community to do so.

Due to the pandemic, Harris County Pets is strictly operating by an appointment only system, anyone interested in adopting, fostering, rehoming, volunteering or in vaccinations can schedule an appointment by calling the number provided on their website, (countypets.com).

10

FEATURES

Beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek passes away from cancer

By Jordan Johnson Around Creek Editor

Known by millions of people for hosting numerous game shows, most notably including Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek recently made headlines for the last time after passing away on November eighth after battling pancreatic cancer for two years. To honor Trebek, his hometown of Sunbury will be placing a statue or painting a massive mural if the Trebek family agrees to it.

While the mayor of Sunbury, Kurt Karlovich, is hoping to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later, he also understands that the family needs time to heal and grieve from the loss.

Trebek kept everyone updated about his condition with videos posted every so often on social media and in one of the latest videos he mentioned that if the cancer did not kill him, the treatments would.

“Now I would be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one. There were some good days but a lot of not-so-good days. I joked with friends that the cancer would not kill me, the chemo treatments will. There were moments of great pain, days when certain bodily functions no longer functioned and sudden, massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it was worth fighting on. But I brushed that aside quickly because that would have been a massive betrayal… a betrayal of my wife and soulmate, Jean, who has given her all to help me survive. It would have been a betrayal of other cancer patients who have looked to me as an inspiration and a cheerleader of sorts, of the value of living and hope, of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that have been said on my behalf,” Trebek, in the video update about his health, said.

Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy! for 36 years, while the show has been on the air for 56 years. The show also had one other host, Art Jennings, for 12 years. Although the

main show that Trebek hosted was Jeopardy!, he has also hosted many other shows such as, The Wizard of Odds in 1973, Game Changers in 2017 and Pick and Choose in 1971 along with many, many more. Trebek also played in 49 TV shows as himself. However, he played in three of them under a different name. The three shows he did not play himself were Rugrats in 1993 as Alan Quebec, the host of Super Stumpers, The X-Files in 1996 as a Man

nosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in March of 2019 and he continued to film the show throughout his treatments.

“Just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer,” Trebek, when he announced his cancer, said.

He kept the job throughout his treatments, even though his prognosis wasn’t encouraging, he continued to fight the battle of cancer. Trebek went

in Black who Agent Mulder Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons through the treatments with thought looked “incredibly” keeping his humor in tacked. like himself and Arthur in 2000 as Alex Leb“Truth told, I have to, because under the ek, the host of Riddle Quest. The last show terms of my contract I have to host Jeopardy! that Trebek filmed is an episode of Free Guy for three more years. I am extremely touched that will air in 2021. He played himself, as by the warmth you have expressed in your comhe did in most shows he has starred in. The ments to me. I am a lucky guy,” Trebek said. final episode of Jeopardy! that Trebek filmed In May of the same year, Trebek announced was on October 29, 2020. He hosted the that he was near remission. During the beginning show for more than eight thousand episodes. of his treatments, he stopped filming the 35 seaTrebek announced he was diag- son of Jeopardy! The following August he re-

turned to filming but announced that he was still going to continue with his chemotherapy and radiation. He chose to continue the treatments because of a jump in the cancer-related numbers. Trebek’s levels had returned to normal but later shot up to over 50% higher than when he was first diagnosed with the cancer. Trebek did not announce what kind of pancreatic cancer he had, but the Chief of Pancreatic Surgery Service at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Matthew Katz, said that the survival-rate with this type of cancer is under 10%.

“This is a particularly aggressive type of disease that is rarely detected early and often detected in the late stage of disease, as it was with Mr. Trebek, when it’s hard to treat. In more than half of people, the cancer has metastasized at the time of diagnosis, meaning it has already spread outside the original tumor. In stage four, the cancer has metastasized to distant sites such as the liver, lungs, bones, or other areas of the body.

For these and other reasons, survival is not terribly long after diagnosis,” Katz said.

Now although Trebek has passed, the show will go on. However, there were seven contenders for who were chosen to continue the show. Ken Jennings is the first for consideration for the show’s host. Jennings is the first person because he played on Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time and won one million dollars. Tom Bergeron was the next person up for consideration for the position because he has years of experience with hosting TV shows such as America’s Funniest Home Videos from 2002-2015, Dancing With the Stars from 20052020 and then to when he was asked to retire.

Alex Faust is the third in line for the job, but he has only ever hosted sports shows. Although Jeopardy! will always have a place for Trebek, the torch must be passed onto the next host.

Ken Jennings will now be the host of Jeopardy!

NASA astronaut, Kate Rubins, makes history by voting from space

By Pablo Anton Reporter and Photographer On November third, while all citizens of the United States were looking for the final results of the 2020 election, there was one person watching them from hundreds of miles away. Kate Rubins, an American astronaut from the state of Connecticut and the first person in history to sequence DNA in space, was floating in the International Space Station with her two Russian crewmates, Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.

Looking through the window, she could see a divided country excited to know who was going to be the winner of the election night. From space, the U.S. was just a tiny piece of land surrounded by pieces that together, form what we call Earth.

Although some people may think that when a person leaves the planet, they lose certain rights that are typically guaranteed, the right to vote continues to be available even for those who get into a rocket and leave the surface. Astronauts can participate in democracy the same way that all people do, just with the difference that they are living 250 miles above the ground, or what is the same, more than 4,300 Statues of Liberty one on top of the other. Anyway, after using her right to vote, Rubins casted her ballot weeks before November third showing that even if one is in the furthest possible place, they should still take part in democracy and vote.

It was over 20 years ago, in 1997, when the opportunity to vote in space was first conceded. A bill was passed in the state of Texas which allowed astronauts to cast their vote from space. As they need to train for several years on Earth, most of them live near the Johnson Space Center

expedition 48/49 in 2016 when the last election took place in the U.S. That was Rubins’ first mission and it was also the same mission she became the first human in history to replicate DNA in space. Thus, it was not the only thing that Rubins did for the first time. She also used her right

Photo courtesy of Flickr of Houston, just a couple to vote in an election from miles away from Creek the International Space Staand they are registered to vote in the state tion. Some weeks before the 2020 elecof Texas, the only place in the U.S. who tion, in the expedition 63/64, her second allows this process to occur in space. mission, she voted again from outer space.

Moreover, it is not the first time that “I think it is really important for evRubins has experienced an election night erybody to vote…It is critical to particiin outer space. She was working in the pate in our democracy. We consider it an

honor to be able to vote from space and if we can do it from here, then I believe folks can do it from the ground too,” Rubins, when she left for her mission in October, said.

Everybody knows that the past election was really different to what people are used to experiencing. The coronavirus pandemic made the right to vote a nightmare for a lot of U.S. citizens. Mail-in ballots increased a 115% compared with the 2016 election, going from 47 million votes to 101 million votes casted just this year. Out of the people that used their right to cast their ballot, two out of every three decided to do it by mail, or the 65%.

With more astronauts making an effort to participate in democracy from outer space, this has made other young, soon-to-be voters aware of how important voting is within the U.S. Even if the lines to cast the vote are longer than ever, voting has been a crucial part in democracy for citizens for hundreds of years. Not to mention, that Rubins having voted twice from space, has set a new precedent for future voters and how they seek to promote change in the next election.

“Our lives begin to and end the day we become silent about things that matter,” Martin Luther King Jr., the famous activist and winner of the Nobel prize in 1964, said.

As the quote suggests, the silence in democracy is the end of people’s participation in the things that matter, the loss of the privilege to take part, not just in current issues, but in the history of humanity. A history waiting to be written.

SPORTS

11

2020 Golf Masters hits record low views since 2010

By Aivry Zamora Assistant Editor

Most components of the golf world have enjoyed a renaissance through the pandemic with outdoor activities returning to popularity. Though, the 2020 Masters tournament was met with the lowest viewership since 2010. Airing in the midst of football season rather than waiting until next year for the competition to take place, this year’s historic Masters has been lost in the abundance of NFL broadcasts. Dustin Johnson became the first player to reach 20-under, the lowest aggregate score at any major championship since Tiger Wood’s winning total of 18-under in 1997. His achievement has been praised by reigning champion Woods, who passed on the Masters Green Jacket to a new era of young athletes.

“D.J. has just an amazing ability to stay calm in tough moments, and in order to win this event, and we all know as past champions how hard it is, the emotions we have to deal with out there. There’s no one more suited to that, I think, than DJ,” Tiger Woods, previous winner, said.

Johnson has attributed his success and disposition on the field to the support of his brother and caddie, Austin, who has been at his side during tournaments since 2013.

“The biggest thing about being a caddie is knowing your player, knowing what to say to them, what not to say or when to leave them alone and not say anything.

No one knows me better than my brother,” Johnson, Masters 2020 winner, said.

Along with the impressive winning score by Johnson, rookie competitor Cameron Champ broke boundaries by wearing one black shoe and one white shoe in protest of police brutality and systemic racism after the shooting of Jacob Blake in August. As a biracial man, Champ has expressed his disdain

times. Now we’re in different times, things have changed,” Champ, a golf rookie, said.

Additionally, rookie Sungjae Im excited viewers in South Korea who stayed awake through the night to watch Im in his first Masters.

“As a boy in South Korea, I would

Photo courtesy of Golf.com for the Masters’ segregastay up through the night tionist history, as his grandin early April. It was the father became a caddie at courses around only way I could watch the Masters, as Houston that would not allow him to play. it unfolded. I know a lot of people back “It’s obviously a super historical tour- home are staying up late and not sleeping nament and something that obviously still watching the Masters, watching me permeans a lot to me, I don’t think it needs to form. I want to stay composed again and be shunned. I think it just has to do with the make sure I finish strong so that I make

them happy,” Im, through a translator, said.

Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer has returned to the course at 63 years old, making him the oldest man to make the cut at the Masters final round.

“It actually makes me feel older when I play with these young guys and I see how far they hit it and how short I hit it. I like this golf course. I think I know how to get around it, even though I hit very long clubs. But it’s certainly not easy,” Langer, previous Masters winner, said.

Club officials hope fans will be able to return next year but have made no guarantees with the current state of the pandemic. The collapse of the resale market around the Masters is a symptom of bigger issues in the ticketing industry at a time when there are so few live events.

“The Masters is really, in my estimation, the biggest ticket in the world. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event for a lot of people,” James DiZoglio, ticket broker, said.

ESPN+ has taken on the Masters and the Professional Golfers Association tour in their newest streaming service, opening the realm of golf up to casual viewers. While network numbers for the Masters were down significantly, the streaming app from Augusta National Golf Club allowed fans more thorough coverage and more opportunities to check in on the leaderboard than ever before. PGA Tour LIVE on ESPN+ will air more than 4,000 hours of live streaming coverage annually as well as feature on-demand replays of PGA Tour events, original golf programming and edited speed round recaps, making access to golf easier than ever before.

Former general manager sues Astros over his firing

By Fabiola Figueroa Aguyao Sports Editor

Former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, who was fired after it was discovered that the Astros had been electronically stealing signs during their World Series title run in 2017 and in part of the 2018 season, sued the team in Harris County for breach of contract. Houston was fined five million dollars and lost their first and second draft picks in 2020 and 2021 after the scandal was unveiled and Luhnow later sued on November eighth. The Major League Baseball Association suspended Luhnow, former Houston manager A.J. Hinch and former Astros coach Alex Cora for a year and then the Astros fired the three of them shortly after the results of the MLB’s investigations were released.

However, Hinch was able to find a job as the manager of the Detroit Tigers in October and Cora as the manager for the Boston Red Sox, but Luhnow was not as fortunate.

Luhnow is alleging that the franchise did not have just cause in firing him in January and is now seeking $22 million from the club and his restitution. He is specifically accusing owner Jim Crane and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred for negotiating the penalties the team would face and choosing Luhnow to be the Astros’ “scapegoat.” His attorneys have called the MLB’s investigation “deeply flawed” and have accused, along with Crane and Manfred, the Astros’ director of advance information, Tom Koch-Weser for being the only one out of 70 witnesses in MLB’s investigation to claim Luhnow spoke of electric sign stealing. They are going so far as to say Koch-Weser stole signs, lied about it in the investigation to save his job and that

he has multiple text messages with his colleagues that implicate him of these facts.

“The commissioner conveniently neglected to mention in his report, the more than 22,000 contemporaneous text and chat messages sent or received by this individual that undermine his after-the-fact fin-

Journal, Luhnow, Manfred and the Astros analytical team were aware of and used this program. Furthermore, the WSJ report said Codebreaker would operate by having someone watching a live feed of games and log catchers’ signs and record what pitch was thrown into the Excel spreadsheet.

ger-pointing at Luhnow… Screen grab from Click2Houston.com Then the algorithm would break down the correlation even texted his colleagues ‘don’t tell Jeff,’” Luhnow’s attorneys said. between the signs and pitches and once MLB and the Astros have not com- employees received the information, they mented on the lawsuit since it was first would bang on trash cans behind the dugout announced. But although he is claiming to notify batters which pitch was coming.

“The investigation also revealed that innocence to the 2017 and 2018 scandal, Luhnow did in fact have knowledge of a Luhnow neither devised nor actively directsystem called Codebreaker. Codebreak- ed the efforts of the replay review room staff er was an Excel-based program that could to decode signs in 2017 or 2018…Although decode-signs from opposing catchers and Luhnow denies having any awareness that his according to a report from the Wall Street replay review room staff was decoding and

transmitting signs, there is both documentary and testimonial evidence that indicates Luhnow had some knowledge of those efforts, but he did not give it much attention,” Manfred said.

This information refutes Luhnow’s claim that he had no part in the sign-stealing, more so it proves that he was in cahoots with Koch-Weser. Evidence of this was reported in the WSJ article in which emails sent

by Koch-Weser to Luhnow proved that they were working together during the season.

“On August 26, 2017, in another ‘road notes,’ Koch-Weser wrote: ‘The system: our dark arts, sign-stealing department has been less productive in the second half as the league has become aware of our reputation and now most clubs change their signs a dozen times per game.’ He added that struggling teams like the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics ‘seem not to care as much,’” Manfred said.

Even though several Astros employees had to pay the price, the players were left unscathed for the most part and of course got to keep their World Series Champions title. Many were upset by this fact as it was stated on Manfred’s report that all of the players knew of the sign stealing.

“Virtually all of the Astros’ players had some involvement or knowledge of the scheme, and most of the position players on the 2017 team participated in or benefited from it,” Manfred said.

However, this is not the first or the last fans will hear of sign stealing in baseball.

It has happened multiple times in the 150year history of the sport and will most likely continue to do so with new forms of technology and programs such as Codebreaker.

“Cheating in baseball is as integral to the game as sunflower seeds and older men in children’s uniforms screaming at umpires,” Corbin Smith, a writer for NBC, said.

12 ENTERTAINMENT

All 14 tracks from positions reach Billboard Top 100

By Fabiola Figueroa Aguyao Sports Editor

Ariana Grande unveiled the track list for her new album positions, following the release of its lead single by the same name. Grande posted the official track list on social media which features a total of 14 songs: shut up, 34+35, motive (ft. Doja Cat), just like magic, off the table (ft. The Weeknd), six thirty, safety net (ft. Ty Dolla $ign), my hair, nasty, west side, love language, positions, obvious and pov. The release of her album occurred on Friday October 30, making it her sixth studio effort.

Grande also gave her “Arianators” an official music video for positions, a love song to new boyfriend Dalton Gomez; the music video currently sits at about 90 million views since its release on October 22. The video had the popstar playing as the President of the United States as the video mimicked the White House and had sets featuring the Oval Office and the situation room in it. Some scenes included her chairing cabinet meetings, holding press conferences and walking her beloved dogs on the White House lawn.

The message of women-empowerment was received loud and clear, with almost the entirety of the music video featuring only women walking and standing side-by-side with Grande as she carried out her presidential duties, but Grande was also seen in the kitchen, implying that women can do it all.

Paula Ayotte, a friend of Grande’s who could be seen dressed as a security guard flanking Grande in the video, posted on social media what being in positions meant to her.

“Imagine. Imagine being in an @arianagrande music video…A music video where

women run the White House while still embracing their femininity,” Ayotte wrote.

Grande also gave a nod to United States Postal Service workers in the politically charged video. She was seen giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor,

with HeadCount.org in 2019 during her Sweetener World Tour to encourage concert-goers to register to vote. She was able to amass more than 330,000 fans to vote during her #thankunextgen campaign, which according to HeadCount.org was the most successful tour in their history.

to USPS workers who Screen grab from 34+35 music video Grande, similar to have been struggling her thank u, next vidto deliver amidst the pandemic and who eo, included many friends from her inner President Donald Trump has refused to circle in the music video. Frequent colfund for election assistance to sabotage laborator and friend of Grande, Victoria mail-in voting. This is not the first time Monét was present in the video and could Grande has voiced her political opinions, be seen in the situation room with Grande in fact, she has continuously pleaded her holding a meeting. Monét is a writer and fans to vote, even so much as partnering performer who has co-written songs with

Grande including thank u, next, Be Alright and Honeymoon Avenue, she can also be seen in the thank u, next music video.

Singer/songwriter Tayla Parx, who has been credited as a writer on 7 rings and has performed with the popstar, was also seen working closely with Grande. Backup dancers who have toured with Grande and even her mother, Joan Grande, can be seen “sprinkled” throughout the video.

Throughout the video, Grande changed into many outfits, which seemed to be inspired by first lady Jackie Kennedy. She dressed in pillbox hats, cape dresses, opera gloves and pearl necklaces which were all popularized by Jackie Kennedy in the 1960s. However, Grande also changed into some more modern outfits, styling herself in a lacy corset as well as a strapless black minidress.

The Grammy-winner has had a successful year, having collaborating with Lady Gaga to preform Rain on Me from Gaga’s album Chromatica, which won Song of the Year, Best Collaboration and Best Cinematography at the MTV’s Video Music Award show. She also collaborated with Justin Bieber this year, producing the quarantine single Stuck with U which won Best Music Video from Home in the VMA’s. In addition, she developed Ice Cream with her 7 rings co-writer Monét for BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez. Positions is Grande’s third album in a little less than 15 months, after she released sweetener in August 2018 and thank u, next in February.

“This project is my favorite for many reasons and I really can’t wait for it to be yours,” Grande, after the release of her track list on social media, wrote.

ENTERTAINMENT 13

Netflix produces remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca

By Jessica McDermand Entertainment Editor

to Mr. de Winter’s home called Manderley. ter. Mrs. Danvers, a woman introduced upon The home was a mansion on his estate that their arrival to Manderley, automatically carwas very extravagant and filled with many ries an ill-wished attitude towards the newly Netflix is known for releasing intrigu- rooms. Throughout the movie, the audience married Mrs. de Winter’s. This leaves Mrs. ing movies and of its most recent is the film is left searching for answers about the death de Winter’s feeling badly about herself and Rebecca. The genre of the movie is hard to of Mr. de Winter’s late wife, Rebecca, which how she may never measure up to Rebecca, place, although it primarily lingers around that of a mystery. The movie itself is based on both the novel written by Daphne du Maurier and the later adapted film of the same title by Alfred Hitchcock. The 2020 remake follows a mostly similar storyline, but manages a few major changes. The lead cast for the remake of Rebecca is Lily James and Armie Hammer, who are both well-known for their previous works within the film industry. Rebecca was released on October 21, just in time for audiences to watch before Halloween.

The movie begins by following an unnamed woman and her essential boss at the time, Mrs. Van Hopper.

Through a series of events, the audience sees the poor manner in which Rebecca is treated and subsequentially that is an important detail in a decision she makes later in the film. The unnamed woman does Mrs. Van Hopper’s bidding, which is how she comes to meet a rich Mr. Maxim de Winter, who the unnamed woman later agrees to marry. However, he has a mysterious past concerning the details of his first and late wife, to the point that the au- the movie was named after.

Mr. de Winter’s first wife.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia dience has to piece together what happened The newly married, unWhat was confusing to her as the plot progresses. The entire named woman, now goes by about the film’s genre is movie, while slow in portions, continues Mrs. de Winter’s and comes that it felt like a ghost story to give off a very calculated tone and man- to find out much about Rebecca, including at least for half of the film and it carried a ner, which sets up the ending of the movie. the fact that she was adored and loved by very eerie feeling that was portrayed through Shortly after the film begins, the new- everyone, to the point where some looked various cinematic artistry such as the moly-wed couple find themselves moving back down upon the newly named Mrs. de Win- ment the couple walked into the Manderley

home the overall look was just gloomy and dark, which is usually anything but what a couple wants during their honeymoon period.

Another big portion of the movie follows Mrs. de Winter’s as she slowly starts to be burdened by the idea that she was not going to measure up to Rebecca in any way, which is continuously reinforced by the character Mrs. Danvers. As Mrs. de Winter’s is the victim of manipulation and varying forms of psychological twist, her character almost collapses in a mental breakdown, but that all changes when new revelations come about concerning Rebecca.

After the movie, there is a lingering feeling that prompts the story to stick with the audience and further think about it. After much debate, the audience can be brought to a unique realization that they may not have noticed during the movie.

One of the main characters, who is portrayed by James, is never given a first name. The only name the audience knows to call her by is that of Mrs. de Winter’s after she gets married. However, Mr. de Winter’s first wife is commonly referred to by her first name Rebecca throughout the movie by everyone except for Mrs. Danvers. After watching the ending of the film, it seems that this was a decisive and purposeful detail put in place by the writers.

The movie Rebecca was a little over the two-hour mark, however, the intriguing pull of the movie made it feel shorter. Even though it seemed slow at certain points, the ending definitely wrapped up in a fast-paced manner and gave a semi-open ending to reveal the fate of the main characters later on after the events of the film. Overall, the movie Rebecca is a great watch for someone who is interested in a mix of genres such as gothic thriller, mystery and romance.

By Chloe Tankink Photo-Editor

have made it available on platforms such as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox One. “It’s annoying, because the song list is actually pretty great, spanning tracks across the entire franchise. While there are some Disney bangers like “Under the Sea” and “This is Halloween” (instrumentals, of course), Square Enix has built up a respectable catalog of amazing Kingdom Hearts music over the past 18 years or so. The ability to start on proud mode and not have to work your way up to it is a small concession for rhythm fanatics,” Chris Carter, from Destructoid, said.

Almost 14-15 years have passed since Kingdom Hearts 2 and only about a year since Kingdom Hearts 3 and the developers have had time to think about what ideas they wanted to put into the 2019 Kingdom Hearts. Unlike the 2019 game, Melody of Memory is dedicated to the music that was composed in each game from 2002-2020. While there is some inspiration to its art style in the loading screens, Melody of Memory is a 3D experience that attempts to replicate Kingdom Hearts’ action combat in a rhythm game shell. To use attacks, one must tap and hold buttons in time with the on-screen animations, chaining them for an even higher score. Kingdom Hearts fans have been wanting a musical experience similar to Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory for quite some time and for some, it was worth the wait.

“After 13 long years of waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3, it finally concluded with an amazing story fit for any fan. I really expected it to end with that game, maybe a few for small side stories, not a full game. I am really curious to see what Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is all about. All I hear is that they created a game that is dedicated to the music in all of the games,” Tony Tankink, a fan, said.

Kingdom Hearts dedicates new game to previous music Kingdom Hearts is a 2002 video game developed by Disney Interactive Studios and Square Enix, a Japanese video game company founded by Masafumi Miyamoto in 1986. Kingdom Hearts is the tenth-bestselling PlayStation 2 video game (fourpoint-seventy-eight million (five-point-nine million shipped including Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Ultimate Hits) copies sold).

It is an action-role playing game about Sora and his friends, Riku and Kairi, who all go on an adventure by exploring the different worlds that they discovered from their own island, Destiny Island. It follows the adventures of Sora, who fights against the darkness that covers the worlds they discover, along with Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse and many other characters. The game also included some characters from the Final Fantasy series. Donald, Goofy and Sora travel alongside each other to save the Disney characters that have been trapped by the darkness that have been created by Maleficent, Pete, Hades and other Disney villains.

“Nostalgic, epic, sad, happy, battles [truly bring-sic] back the memories of melodies into our hearts. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memories may not be anticipated by all, but it does extend the main storyline from Kingdom Hearts 3.” Firdaus Idris, a reviewer, said.

Composer Yoko Shimomura created the music that was put into the games, while Tetsuya Nomura, Shinji Hashimoto, Shimomura and many others, are the designers of the game. As mentioned previously, it is a collaboration between Square Enix and Dis-

ney and is under the direction of Nomura, a would have cost them between $50 million longtime Square Enix employee. Kingdom to $150 million. This past year, Square Enix Hearts has had a continuous story for 18 has created more side games to give more to years and they have had three story games side characters, or give some more games to and more than six side games they have cre- play for the viewers. This November they ated. The games have been on all types of have announced that they will be releasing platforms including Game Boy Advanced, a new game, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of P S P, MemoXbox ry. This game O n e , consists N i n of the tendo Switch, music Nintenthat was do DS, c o m N i n posed tendo in every 3DS, game Playt h e y Station h a v e 4, IOS creata n d ed and Playinto a S t a separate tion 2. game “I have not played the where one goes into each Photo courtesy of Wikipedia game but I did play the demo world and plays as differso I will give this [5 starsent characters and players sic] because from videos, I love the boss bat- have to follow the music to each world. One tles and how they’re being useful for finding takes on formidable foes in boss battles and Sora and finally having Kairi do something they go through each world with music vidagainst Xehanort and when he caught Kairi’s eos in the memory drive, players are able key blade, she knew what to do. Anyways to compete in online games or side-by-side this game is really cool and I cannot wait with their friends. The creators have made it to play it.” Taha Bangash, a reviewer, said. to where people are able to play with their In January of 2019, Square Enix and favorite Disney characters and they are able Disney came out with Kingdom Hearts III. to choose between all of the characters in It became the second best-selling game at the game and play as them. Players are able the beginning of 2019 and shipped five mil- to pre-order the game with the price starting lion copies worldwide. To make the game it at about $60. The developers of the game

14 ENTERTAINMENT

Deluxe version of Luke Combs’ 2019 album is released

By Jordan Johnson Around Creek Editor Luke Combs is a country artist who started out his career in February of 2014 when he released his first EP, The Way She Rides.

Later that same year he released a second EP, Can I get an Outlaw. When he released his first song, it hit the Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart at number 46. After Combs decided to pursue his career more, he dropped out of college as a senior, with less than a month left, at Appalachian State University to focus more on music. Two years later he was put on Nashville’s “Artists to Watch.”

Combs signed on to his first record label, Sony Music Nashville, in 2017. Less than two months later he released his debut album titled This One’s for You. The songs tracks included Out There, Memories Are Made Of, Lonely One, Beer Can, Hurricane, One Number Away, Don’t Tempt Me, When It Rains It Pours, This One’s for You, Be Careful What You Wish For, I Got Away With You and Honky Tonk Highway. It hit number one on Billboard’s Top Country list. While also reaching number five on the Billboard’s top 200. Exactly a year later, Combs rereleased This One’s for You, but retitled it This One’s for You Too. The newer album had five extra songs, two of those including the more wellknown songs by him, Beautiful Crazy and She Got the Best of Me. The album track included the original 12: Out There, Memories Are Made Of, Lonely One, Beer Can, Hurricane, One Number Away, Don’t Tempt Me, When It Rains It Pours, This One’s for You, Be Careful What You Wish For, I Got Away With You, Honky Tonk Highway and an addition-

al new five: Houston, We Got a Problem, Must’ve Never Met You, Beautiful Crazy, A Long Way, She Got the Best Of Me and a Digital Booklet: This One’s for You Too (Deluxe Edition). The first five singles

tine: Six Feet Apart which was written by Combs, Brent Cobb and Rob Snyder. The trio not only wrote the song but later sang it as a group. Some of the lyrics are: “I miss my band / Giving hugs and shaking hands

he released made it to the / It’s a mystery, I suppose Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Billboard country chart. / Just how long this thing June 11, 2019 goes / There’ll be crowds Combs was invited to join the Grand and there’ll be shows / And there will be Ole Opry. Combs was invited by Craig light after dark / Someday, when we arMorgan, Chris Janson and John Con- en’t six feet apart.” The second song that lee, while being inducted by Joe Dif- Combs released was Does to Me. This song fie and Vince Gill on July 16, 2019. features Eric Church, another country singThroughout the COVID-19 pandemic, er/songwriter. After the song was released Combs released two songs during quaran- it was on the Billboard Country Airplay

after only 14 weeks, listed at number six.

“I was the one phone call when my brother went to jail. Pawned my guitar just to pay his bail. No, I’ll never get it back. But I’m okay with that. I was the first man standing next to my best friend.

The day the love of his life said “I do” to him. I was a couple beers deep, but I still remembered that speech,” Combs said.

While the first song Six Feet Apart released in May is all about being in quarantine for months and missing out on life such as seeing his family and friends while also saying how much he misses going on tours. The second one was released in June.

This song has a much more personal feel to it. This song states what he went through during his life, while Six Feet Apart is talking more about what we are all going through. Combs later released his full album, What You See Ain’t Always What You Get and the deluxe version of What You See Is What You Get. What You See Is What You Get was released in 2019 and the album track included 17 songs: Beer Never Broke My Heart, Refrigerator Door, Even Though I’m Leaving, Lovin’ on You, Moon Over Mexico, 1, 2 Many (feat. Brooks & Dunn), Blue Collar Boys, New Every Day, Reasons, Every Little Bit Helps, Dear Today, What You See Is What You Get, Does to Me (feat. Eric Church), Angels Workin’ Overtime, All Over Again, Nothing Like You and Better Together. The deluxe album included the original 17 songs while also adding another five to a second disk: Six Feet Apart, Cold As You, The Other Guy, My Kinda Folk, Without You (feat.

Amanda Shires) and Forever After All.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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PHOTOFINISH

Photo Finish Courtesy of: Chloe Tankink Photos by: Chloe Tankink, Jessica McDermand, Pablo Anton, Jordan Johnson