Niner Times: September 18, 2018 by Niner Times

SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 NINERTIMES.COM

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Jeffrey Kopp

editor@ninertimes.com EDITORIAL

Alexandria Sands MANAGING EDITOR Megan Bird NEWS EDITOR Sam Palian SPORTS EDITOR Elissa Miller A&E EDITOR Hailey Turpin LIFESTYLE EDITOR Madison Dobrzenski OPINION EDITOR Emily Hickey COPY EDITOR Leysha Caraballo PHOTO COORDINATOR Pooja Pasupula PHOTO COORDINATOR Kathleen Cook VIDEO PRODUCER Julie Brown COMMUNITY EDITOR Natasha Morehouse LAYOUT EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITORS

Nikolai Mather CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Nolan Bryant, Taylor Maness, Tyler Trudeau, Brandon Mitchell

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SPORTS

49ers shutout Elon

VIDEO •

NEWSROOM: 705.687.7150 ninertimes.com/staff

A&E •

ʻThe Lion King:ʼ All That is Good and Beautiful

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TV REVIEW: ʻFear the Walking Deadʼ – ʻMM 54ʼ

The Charlotte 49ers football team collected their second win of the season against ODU

MEDIA MARKETING MARKETING DIRECTOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Fred Brown

James Bourke

mktdirector@uncc.edu

production@uncc.edu

MARKETING STAFF

Kayla Christian, Eddy Falls, Lillian Taylor, Abigail Guadarrama

NEWS Continuing coverage of Tropical Storm Florence can be found at NinerTimes.com

LOCATED IN THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE STUDENT UNION

NINER TIMES • RADIO FREE CHARLOTTE SANSKRIT LITERARY-ARTS MAGAZINE MEDIA MARKETING • TECHNICAL T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N O R T H C A R O L I N A AT C H A R L O T T E

NINER MEDIA ADVISER: WAYNE MAIKRANZ MARKETING ADVISER: KELLY MERGES BUSINESS MANAGER: LAURIE CUDDY GRAPHICS & PRODUCTION: JOSHUA WOOD OFFICE MANAGER: KELLY DUDDEN

SEPT. 18, 2018

NINERTIMES

HURRICANE FLORENCE

NEWS

A recount of the storm’s path and the University’s response by Megan Bird News Editor

News and weather outlets worked tirelessly during Hurricane Florence to provide the public with the most up-to-date information. The Niner Times stayed on top of the hurricane and its impact on Charlotte. Here is a summary of how the storm unfolded. Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency on September 7, but for many UNC Charlotte students, the storm became more foreboding when UNC Charlotte sent out the first Niner Notice regarding the storm. On Monday, September 10 the email informed students of a normal schedule under effect because the “...area is not expecting significant effects from the storm beyond moderate to heavy rain and some gusty winds.” At this point, Hurricane Florence was a Category 4. Eastern Carolina University and NC State both cancelled classes, ECU beginning Tuesday at noon and NC State beginning Wednesday evening. Dreamville Festival, which was supposed to take place Saturday in Raleigh, was cancelled and all tickets refunded. As of Tuesday morning, September 11 classes were still not cancelled. A University email justified the decision: “The storm’s forecasted track has moved slightly to the north and east, which would reduce impacts to Charlotte. Expected effects from the storm continue to be moderate to heavy rain and some gusty winds,” read the Niner Notice. As of 5:00 p.m. it was announced that classes and all other activities were cancelled from Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. through Friday at 11:59 p.m. Many other universities, including UNC Chapel Hill and NC Central University cancelled classes as well. Men’s soccer vs. FAU at home, football vs. Old Dominion at home and women’s soccer vs. Rice at home were still scheduled to occur at the original times. Volleyball at N.C. Central, women’s tennis at College of Charleston, men’s tennis at Liberty and at Duke and cross country at NC State were all cancelled. In the meantime, many stocked up on bottled water and gasoline in anticipation of shortages. Charlotte Water spokesperson Jennifer Frost told the Charlotte Observer, “Right now, we are prepared for any emergency.” As of Wednesday, September 12 Hurricane Florence was still a Category 4 and expected to make landfall in North and South Carolina on Friday with wind speeds of 130 miles per hour. According to the National Hurricane Center, Charlotte was expected to receive 4-6 inches of rain. The University extended the cancellation of classes and activities through Sunday evening. An email sent out at 4:10 p.m. also noted that a decision regarding classes on Monday was to be made by Saturday at 5 p.m. The football game vs. Old Dominion at home was moved from Saturday to Thursday and family weekend was rescheduled to November 16-17. As of Thursday, September 13 Hurricane Florence was recategorized as Category 2. However, UNCC Weather Reporter Danielle Miller said that the category of the storm is not what matters. “The strength has decreased slightly but the power of the impacts that [the hurricane] brings on shore are

still the same,” she said during a 12 p.m. report. The maximum wind speed decreased to 110 mph but the newest trajectory predicted the storm would come closer to Charlotte. The dorms remained open but the Student Health Center closed Thursday and Friday. As of Friday, September 14, Hurricane Florence was downgraded Category 1 after the maximum wind speed decreased to 90 mph. However, the storm took a wider path than anticipated. The hurricane made landfall in the morning at Wrightsville Beach and almost 500,000 people in North Carolina lost power. “It’s getting worse,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “The storm is going to continue its violent grind across our state for days and be a major inland event as well.” The Housing and Residence Life office sent out an email to dorm residents warning of the potential for leaks and power outages. Campus is equipped with an emergency system to warn students of hazardous weather; if students hear a siren, they should go inside immediately and avoid windows. Each dorm has specified locations for these types of emergencies. As of Saturday, September 15, Hurricane Florence was considered a tropical storm rather than a hurricane. Maximum sustained winds were 45 mph and the storm was moving extremely slowly at about 2 mph. 7,415 households had already lost power in Mecklenburg County. Classes and activities were cancelled through Monday night while the library remained open during the weekend from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

NINERTIMES.COM

SEPT. 18, 2018

POLITICAL EXPO REMEMBERS 9/11

POLICE BLOTTER SEPT 6-12

By Nolan Bryant Intern

On the morning of September 11, 2001 four passenger airlines were hijacked by 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists. Flight 11 crashed into the north tower, flight 175 crashed into the south tower and American airlines flight 77 hit the Pentagon. Flight 93 was overtaken by passengers who sacrificed themselves and crashed the plane into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A total of 2,996 lost their lives. This included passengers, first responders and civilians affected in the attack. UNC Charlotte’s Elijah Acosta thought it was important to remember this tragic day. Acosta coordinated a September 11 tribute memorial on the campus courtyard between the College of Health and Human Services and the Cato College of Education building. 3,000 United States flags were donated to the event by College Republican Treasurer Hannah Whitlow. The memorial was attended by the Political Expo, UNC Charlotte’s five political organizations including the College Republicans, the College Democrats, Young Americans for Liberty, the Roosevelt Institute, and the National Society of Leadership and Success. These groups galvanized around Acosta’s idea in hopes to bring the campus community together by showing support for America on a day of remembrance. A flag was placed in the ground for each known person who died on September 11, 2001. While the organizations planted the flags, students stopped by in curiosity. Observers were eager to help place flags along the courtyard and within minutes, Acosta’s project was proof that the campus community could come together. “We hope that this will spread to other campuses,” Acosta stated. Grace Frederick, Vice President of Young Americans for Liberty, noted that the event focused on bringing the community together no matter the political preference. “This tragedy did happen, and it is something we can’t forget regardless of where our party stands in the aftermath,” she said. As America takes a day to remember the vicious attacks on our country, this student-organized memorial displays UNC Charlotte’s tribute to all of those affected by the national crisis.

UNDERAGE CONSUMPTION SEPTEMBER 9 •

Lot 26, eleven students were issued NC State Citations and a CAT for underage drinking

LARCENY SEPTEMBER 6 •

Union Deck, victim reported to officers that she was involved in a domestic dispute.

SEPTEMBER 7 •

Student Activities Center, an unknown subject removed property from an unsecured area without permission.

SEPTEMBER 10 •

Belk Gym, An unknown subject removed victim’s cell phone without permission.

WEAPON POSSESSION SEPTEMBER 8 •

Lot 8, officers discovered a airsoft pistol in plain view inside of a secured vehicle.

SEPTEMBER 11 •

Lynch Hall, an officer responded to a call in reference to students misusing a Taser.

DRIVING WITHOUT LICENSE SEPTEMBER 11 •

Photo by Patrick Magoon

SEPT. 18, 2018

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Broadrick Blvd, subject was observed operating a motor vehicle while their license was revoked.

TWO YEARS LATER OPINION

Photo by Pooja Pasupula by Taylor Maness Staff Writer

Two years ago, an event unfolded that shook Charlotte to its core. Keith Lamont Scott was stopped by police officers when they saw him exit his car with a handgun. Authorities have said that Scott did not comply when officers commanded him to drop his weapon. This led Officer Brentley Vinson to use deadly force against him. Vinson shot and killed Scott in the Village at College Downs apartment complex parking lot, just outside of our very own campus. When the news of the shooting broke, protesting began across Charlotte. Protesters brought signs that said “Stop Killing Us” and “No Peace, No Justice.” Although initially participants wished for a peaceful protest, the crowd turned violent as night fell. People threw rocks and water bottles at police officers and there was millions of dollars worth of damage done to property throughout Charlotte, as well as loitering of many businesses. Officers and protesters were injured while one man, Justin Carr, was shot and killed by another civilian during the chaos. Police resulted to drastic measures to control the crowd, including the use of tear gas. The violence lasted for two nights following the incident. The third night of protesting was conducted in a far more peaceful manner. Thorough investigations were done to determine if Vinson acted lawfully in the situation. In November 2016, the prosecutors working on the case concluded that Vinson’s actions were justified. This ruling angered many of Charlotte’s citizens and came as a disappointment to Scott’s family. It’s been almost two years since this tragedy occurred, but many others have taken its place. We are stuck in a cycle of discrimination, violence and retaliation that seems nearly impossible to get out of. Although Charlotte has been facing anger and criminality for many years, there does not seem to be any signs of it slowing down. Have we done anything to remedy the cruelty? What can we do to ensure Charlotte’s future is safe? Is there any fixing our community at all? Charlotte would not be where it is today without our police officers. Many of our officers dedicate their entire lives to protecting us and ensuring that we live in a city that is safe and free of fear. For these heroes, we should be appreciative. Unfortunately, like most things in life, there are exceptions. Aside from this particular case, there have been several other accounts of police violence in Charlotte. Sadly, nothing has changed. Many officials not only shy away from speaking about this tragedy, but they shy away from the issue of police brutality as a whole. It is much easier to try and sweep

it under the rug and let people try to forget about it, but there has to be a change. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 800 people die each year while being put under arrest. Government officials should feel compelled to take action against these sort of crimes. If not, we risk living in a community where we are afraid of the people who we are supposed to trust the most. The riots that broke out were incredibly violent and left over 40 civilians and officers injured. This should be a testament to how broken the communication is between the citizens of Charlotte, law enforcement and government officials. The protests began peacefully with Charlotte citizens wanting to show their respect for Scott as well as voice their discontent toward what happened. Unfortunately, the riots broke out within a few hours, ruining any chance at having an untroubled protest. The police officers who were in Charlotte during the rioting resulted to using great force against civilians. This in itself is a tragedy. The first step in trying to solve any of Charlotte’s problems is through open communication. If the protests had stayed civil, officers and government officials would have been able to fully understand the meaning behind the outrage and would have been able to fully digest the opinions of Charlotte citizens. The violence was in no way constructive; it just led to more disconnection. Everything from peaceful protests, calling government officials and even writing letters are much better ways to voice concern in a cordial way. I believe that most of our officers and government officials want the best for us and want to hear what we have to say. We just have to find ways to communicate that strengthen the bond between us. This is the only way we can begin to mend our tattered relationship and begin to make progress in solving the issues that plague our city. This is a time of remembrance, reflection and reform. As we look back at the tragedy that unfolded two years ago, we need to acknowledge that the issues that presented themselves then still occur to this day. What happened to Scott was a devastation. The riots that followed just threw gasoline onto an already blazing fire. There is still animosity between civilians and officers. There is still a stark line between civilians and government officials. There is still disunity between civilians and other civilians. If we really want to start seeing things change in our city, we have to bridge the gap between civilians, officers and government officials. This is the only way we can begin to see an end to all of the terror that has plagued Charlotte for so long.

NINERTIMES.COM

SEPT. 18, 2018

GOING WITH THE

FLO

SPORTS

A lot goes into moving up a college football game when there is a hurricane on the way By Sam Palian Sports Editor

With a Category 4 hurricane approaching much of North and South Carolina during the week of Sept. 10th, it was unclear early on whether or not the Niners and the Monarchs would meet as planned. Eventually, the decision was made to move the game from Saturday, Sept. 15th to Thursday, Sept. 13th at 4 p.m. “Obviously, we’d been monitoring the traffic of the hurricane for quite a while and initially you saw that a lot of the paths were sending it a little north of us where we thought our game would still be in good shape on Saturday. But, then once it started to turn beginning of this week and we realized it was coming closer to us and we were gonna be north of it as opposed to south of it, that’s when we decided to kind of start looking into some other options,” said Tom Whitestone, Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations. “Really with the fluctuating nature of a storm path, whether it would hit closest on Friday or Saturday really kind of forced us to go to a Thursday start time.” From the Monarchs needing to evacuate to Charlotte early, to making sure that those who didn’t travel with the team got home safely, a lot of work was done on both ends to make sure the game was played and that everyone was safe and taken care of. “From our end, we did a lot of communication with them early in the week. We worked with them to help

SEPT. 18, 2018

try and find a place for their team to practice once they got down here, they were gonna be using our weight room while they were down here if they needed it, to allow them to get some lifts in while they were here, thinking they were gonna be here several days before the game got played, but they ended up not needing to use our weight room because they’ve only been here a short period,” said Whitestone. “But, the communications started pretty robustly as soon we realized that they were gonna have to get out of Norfolk and head this way, to start talking about at least the combinations. At that point, we weren’t really talking about changing the game time, but we were talking about how we could accommodate them and make sure that they had as pleasant an experience as they could while they were here.” Old Dominion was able to practice Tuesday morning and head toward Charlotte that same afternoon, arriving in the evening. Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations, Eric Bohannon, left Norfolk on Wednesday, prepared for whatever Florence brought Conference USA’s way. “I heard late Tuesday night that the game was possibly going to be moved to Thursday, found out at about 11 a.m. Wednesday when I was stopped at a gas station that this was going to be Thursday at 4 o’clock. Charlotte’s been great; Tom, the communication

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from both schools, especially coming from Charlotte since they’re the home team, has been phenomenal. They’ve been very helpful and the fact that this is gonna happen, likely with no rain, is great,” said Bohannon. Not all of the reasons for making the decision to move the game up may have been obvious. Even looking forward to the rest of the season and other teams’ schedules had to be done in order to really decide whether moving the game up, waiting it out or rescheduling entirely would be the best bet. “We did not share a common open date with Old Dominion, which meant that the only opportunity we would have to play them would be at the end of the season, if neither one of us were in the championship game. And honestly, when you only have only 12 opportunities in a season and

you’re trying to win as many games as you can, we wanted to make sure we were maximizing our competition opportunities for both schools,” said Athletic Director Mike Hill. Clearly, far more goes into dealing

with a situation of this nature than many may realize. From coaches and athletic directors conversing to making sure

there are staff members to scan tickets, it certainly takes a village. “It’s incredibly complicated and I’m not sure everybody fully understands, if you’re not sort of in this world,

what it takes to pull off and I do want to give a lot of credit to our chancellor and our staff and our campus community. We had a football operations staff meeting today where there were probably 50 people in the room to discuss all the different logistics and the things that needed to take place,” said Hill. “Everybody was on board, they under-

stood what we’re trying to accomplish and that is to stage a great football game, but with the safety of our student-athletes, our coaches, staff and our fans being paramount.” Not being entirely sure how or when Florence would arrive in Charlotte over the weekend, having the option to move the game up proved quite beneficial. The Niners would go on to beat the conference foe 28-25 in a battle that allowed Charlotte to utilize their rungame. As far as Flor- ence goes, she was labeled a Category 4 as of Monday, Sept. 10, not expected to really hit the Charlotte area until sometime Friday, at the time. Even then, Charlotte could expect mostly heavy winds and rainfall. “The hurricane was either gonna affect me here in Charlotte, my sister

and her husband in Charleston or my family back at home in Apex. But, I’m staying put and just kind of prepping for everything. I really like that we did move the game up, because there aren’t a lot of people here because it’s a Thursday night at 4 p.m., but we’re able to get that game in which is really great for our players and our overall team experience and I think it strengthens our schedule too,” said junior Grace Fendrick. Hurricane Florence dropped to a Category 1 by Friday, Sept. 14th and most of the effects of the storm were expected to roll through Friday evening through Sunday, with a risk of flooding over the weekend. A matchup on Saturday in Jerry Richardson Stadium would have been unlikely. As for fans who originally had tickets to the Saturday game and were unable to attend the game when it was rescheduled to Thursday, other options for their tickets were made available. “They can either get a credit which they can apply to a different game or even a different purchase, for example if they’re also basketball fans and they wanted to apply it to a basketball season ticket, they could do that. If it was a one-time shot and they just can’t do anything about a credit, we would refund their money. But, of course we’re hoping that our fans will show up...and if not, that they apply for that credit, so that we could make sure they’re still able to attend a Niner game,” said Hill. In order to make the most of the unusual circumstances and the weekday game, Hill and Deputy Athletic Director Darin Spease gave away tickets to the game through Twitter to help more fans attend the game. “We need to win the football game and the more Niner fans we can put in the stadium, the better for us. It’s unusual, 4 o’clock on a Thursday, there’s no other college football really going on. To have folks here to cheer on our team and these guys, is really why we do it, we want to give them the great fan experience and those guys on the field are gonna put everything on the line, so the more Niners the better,” said Spease. Several students and alumni managed to reply to Spease and Hill’s

tweets to get tickets to the game. Dave Russell, Charlotte class of 2000, was among the fans who were given tickets to attend the game. “I had a situation where I could leave work early, figured if it’s gonna be raining a lot, maybe power outages this weekend, let’s enjoy the good weather while we’ve got it,” said Russell. “We’re excited about Mike Hill being here, think he brings a great energy to the program, so I follow him on twitter and saw that he was giving tickets to students and thought why not ask if he’ll do it for an alum and he was kind enough to do it, so here we are.” In any tough situation, someone always has to decide what to do and in the case of a Charlotte 49ers football game and Hurricane Florence on her way, there were a lot of people involved in making the best and safest decision for everyone that would be affected.

Hurricane photo courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Football photo by Chris Crews

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SEPT. 18, 2018

A&E

LEGIONS OF FANS

Legion M President Jeﬀ Annison talks about his pioneering media company and new project ‘Mandy’

By Tyler Trudeau Staff Writer

Marking the rise of a fascinating new business model with the potential to change Hollywood forever, entertainment company Legion M has created one of the world’s first fan-owned media platforms. Allowing fans all over the world to invest in a broad slate of film, television and digital content, the company strives to make the audience the number one priority. Here to break down just what Legion M is all about, the Niner Times got a chance to speak to co-founder and president Jeff Annison about the company and its goals. Also giving us the latest on their most recent investment, the supernatural thriller “Mandy,” Jeff Annison spills the beans on why Legion M could be the next revolutionary startup. Legion M introduces one of the world’s first entertainment companies owned and invested in by fans. Fans are able to get involved with and even own stock of the company just by investing as little as $100. That money is then pooled together to go into a variety of diverse projects. How did a company where people all over the world can easily invest in original content come to fruition? How is a company like that even possible? While there’s plenty of business talk and logistics that go into how Legion M was formed, the primary goal of the company is to give fans a say in what Legion M does. We wanted to create a media company made up of people who are emotionally invested in the process of content creation. Under new rules enabled by the JOBS Act, fans can now invest as little as $100 to own a piece of the company. While that process always comes with its risks, there is reward in the ideas and projects Legion M seeks to endorse. Investing in the company is only half of it, however. Legion M has always strived towards creating an authentic grassroots buzz for the projects they’re involved in. As we partner with more and more creators, we can provide marketing, development, financial backing and most importantly fan engagement.

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Equity crowdfunding is all about allowing the general public to invest in pre-IPO startups like ours. Prior to the JOBS Act, most of the population was forbidden from investing in startup companies. Unless you had a net worth north of $1 million or an annual salary of more than $200K, you were excluded. Now, even with some limitations here and there, the JOBS Act promises that all of us can have the chance to invest like the 1%. Of course, you have to know the risks of investing in something like a company. We ourselves took a risk on investing in our latest project “Mandy,” which we entered early at the script phase. That being said, the risk and reward of investing in something like Legion M is never guaranteed. While most startups fail, those that succeed often change the world. That is what we seek to do with Legion M. After launching two years ago, the company has amassed nearly $5 million with an ever-growing number of fan investors. Did you ever see Legion M taking off like this? What are some of the major goals you have for Legion M as it continues to grow?

One of our main goals can be found right in our logo. The “M” with a line over it is the Roman numeral for one million. Our “master plan” so to speak is to become one of the most influential companies in Hollywood, with over one million shareholders backing what we do and what we produce. If we can achieve that, we’ll have hundreds of millions of dollars to develop new projects, with over a million people who have contributed to the process. Another goal of ours is Photo courtesy of RLJE Films to “open the gates of Hollywood” to the fans, giving them the opportunity to spearhead some ambitious projects in the future.

Risk is always a major factor when investing in something like this. One often has to weigh the risk vs. reward before putting

money into a project or company. Legion M is made possible by new rules entitled in the JOBS Act, a process called equity crowdfunding. How is Legion M changing the game in the ways the general public can invest in projects?

Legion M resides on somewhat of a different playing field as Hollywood. The majority of major Hollywood-produced

entertainment, be it film or television, is run by massive conglomerates. Legion M on the other hand strives towards prioritizing individuals who are passionate about budding projects. How has Legion M worked to differentiate itself from the Hollywood formula of content creation? Hollywood is a notoriously difficult place to traverse in the entertainment business. What we find in content creation, and the investment process as well, is that every project is seeking an audience. Putting the fans at the forefront, we can back a wide variety of bold and inventive projects from some of the most promising creators out there. Among Hollywood, which is such a massive world to step into, there are limitations along with those huge companies. In essence, it’s a “hit-driven” enterprise, where the lines are drawn between the artistic side of filmmaking and the business side of entertainment. That can be a complicated street to walk down. After working on such films as “Colossal” with Anne Hathaway and “Bad Samaritan” with David Tennant, the company’s latest investment finds itself in the seedy, 1980s revenge tale of “Mandy,” starring THE Nicolas Cage. How did you come across this project and what drew you towards it personally? “Mandy” is not a film for everyone. It’s dark, visceral, outlandish, but there’s plenty of fantastic potential there. It comes from independent director Panos Cosmatos, who has made a name for himself as the Stanley Kubrick of our time with his startling visual style. At Legion M, we love the idea of supporting up-and-coming filmmakers like Panos, and giving them the chance to showcase their unique talents on-screen. With “Mandy,” which stars such an enigmatic character as Nic Cage, the potential of the director mixed with what Cage could convey as an actor was very promising. Toss in a heavy metal score from the late composer Jóhann Jóhannson and there’s something distinct there. Films like “Mandy” have the tendency to garner substantial cult followings after their release. “Mandy” has already received plenty of buzz at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. While smaller, more obscure films like this often don’t see much return at the box office, they still have life among the fans. Do you see “Mandy” becoming a cult classic? What do you hope people take away from the film? As I said, there’s definitely something special about what the filmmakers behind “Mandy” have crafted. Aside from its great cast in Nic Cage, Andrea Riseborough and Linus Roache, the film has the obscure, sensational aesthetic of what we like to call a “midnight” movie. From an investment standpoint, “Mandy” has a lot of potential to gain a following from not just its premise, but the film’s riveting 1980s-infused soundtrack as well. While we can’t possibly predict how the general public will receive the film next week, we hope the passion behind the project will resonate with the fans who brought the film to light in the first place. “Mandy” premeired in theaters on Sept. 13. The full interview used from this piece can be read online at https://ninertimes.com/2018/09/legion-mpresident-jeff-annison-talks-pioneering-media-company-and-new-projectmandy/. For more information on Legion M and “Mandy,” visit Legion M’s website https://legionm.com/.

ACROSS 1 Potato chips source 5 __ bean 9 Rick’s “Casablanca” love 13 “Aww!” 14 Spring bloom 15 Les __-Unis 16 Neighbor of Yemen 17 Large-scale departure 19 Island setting for Melville’s “Omoo” 21 Court order to testify 22 Mindless memorization 24 Farm sound 25 Blue expanse, on a clear day 26 Cost of a car, in most family budgets 31 1860s White House nickname 32 Thought 33 Traffic light color 37 Gardener’s bane 39 Quick taste 41 Produced 42 American flag feature

45 At hand 48 Buddhist school 49 Edmund Hillary’s conquest 52 Fermented quaff 55 Slugger’s stat 56 Get up 57 Removing from the text 60 1971 New York prison riot site 64 Region including Egypt, Israel, etc. 66 “__ be fine”: “No prob” 67 Sad verse 68 Spell-checker discovery 69 Not virtual 70 __ a one 71 The “Y” in “YTD” 72 TV award, and a homophonic hint to the four longest puzzle answers DOWN 1 Loch Ness local 2 Adidas rival 3 Home of the NBA’s Jazz

4 Robert of “Dirty Grandpa” 5 Restricted in number, as an edition 6 Nest egg acronym 7 Hit’s opposite 8 Take for granted 9 “Was __ hard on you?” 10 Stows cargo 11 Caused some nose-pinching 12 Evaluate, as metal 15 Bring to light 18 Traditional black piano key wood 20 Singer Amos 23 Old flames 26 Big mouths 27 Help rob the bank 28 Taunt from the bleachers 29 Emulate Degas 30 “Slippery” tree 34 Do nothing 35 Wordsworth works 36 Attended, with “to” 38 Reduce in brightness 40 __ pressure 43 Rotund 44 Jazzman Blake 46 Pilot 47 Take ten 50 Distance between bases, in feet 51 Go to bed 52 Commercial writers 53 Bizet opera priestess 54 Tribal leader 58 Avant-garde 59 Motown’s Marvin 61 Receipt detail 62 Linguine seafood sauce morsel 63 One on your side 65 Daycation destination

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SEPT. 18, 2018

Photos courtesy of Lauren Shippen and thebrightsessions.com

LIFESTYLE

The Bright sessions: a Podcast review By Brandon Mitchell Intern

The most unlikely group of strange patients come to life

The Bright Sessions, a gripping science fiction audio drama, tells the story of several patients’ therapy sessions with Dr. Joan Bright. These patients come from various walks of life and struggle with the same mental burdens that many of us do. The twist is that these burdens are amplified by the fact that they have superhuman abilities. This provides a stark contradiction to the extravagant and fantastic tales of the majority of modern superhero stories and allows the listeners to more closely relate to the characters. These people are not saving the world or defeating monsters; they are trying to figure out life and seek happiness, just like we all are. Over the course of the first season, listeners are introduced to three of the Bright’s atypical patients: Sam, an anxietyridden young woman with a habit of losing herself in time, Caleb, a confused high school football star that has a difficult time controlling his emotions, and Chloe, a struggling artist with a passion for others and a mind that is always buzzing. Episode by episode, listeners will fall in love with these characters as they grow as people and learn how to control their abilities. I struggle to find fault with The Bright Sessions. There is a healthy mix of action and filler episodes. Some conflict seems somewhat senseless, but

10 SEPT. 18, 2018

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it can be justified by factoring in the characters’ damaged mental statuses. I personally would have liked to see more character development from a few characters, but there is still time for that. It is not a perfect podcast. I am certain I could find several smaller issues if I further thought about it, but they would be with inconsequential in comparison to the utter joy I have found listening to this podcast. This podcast is clearly a work of passion. The dialogue is calculated yet casual, and it is backed by amazingly talented voice actors. The characters are diverse and complicated. The story is complex enough to simultaneously develop each character thoroughly while constructing a mysterious overarching narrative that keeps the listener constantly guessing about what might happen next. Even the therapy jargon is deeply researched by the writers with the aid of an actual licensed psychological consultant. All of these factors make The Bright Sessions one of the most engaging superhero stories I have ever had the pleasure of encountering. Over the span of 56 episodes, The Bright Sessions has won much more than my praise. In 2016, it won seven Audio Verse awards, including “Best New Original, Short Form, Small Cast, Ongoing Production” and “Best Writing of an Original, Short Form, Ongoing Production.” Several of the voice actors involved also won awards that year for their phenomenal voice acting. The podcast was also nominated

for a Webby Award, an AofP Award, and a Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Podcast Award. I highly recommend this podcast, whether or not you typically enjoy superhero dramas. The supernatural abilities act as a layer to further deepen the plot, but the basis of the podcast is about normal people, albeit with some odd quirks, trying to navigate this strange world in which we live. I believe this podcast is perfect for high school and college students alike since we are all trying our best to figure out life. Unfortunately, The Bright Sessions has come to an end, but the universe it has built around it still lives on. Bonus Episodes are released the third Wednesday of every month. There are three young adult novels being written, and there is even a television show in development. I am currently on my second time listening to the series, and I plan on reading the books as soon as they are available. The Bright Sessions is streamable on Spotify, iTunes and most larger audio streaming websites. You can visit http://www.thebrightsessions.com/listen/ to check if it is available on your preferred application.

Rating: 9/10

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SEPT. 18, 2018

12 SEPT. 18, 2018

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