Richland Chronicle December 8th, 2020

CHRONICLE Richland

Vol. LI Issue 9 December 8, 2020

A difficult year comes to a hopeful close Pg. 4-5

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2 CAMPUS/MUSIC

December 8, 2020

Latest developments can be found on the Dallas College COVID-19 Information and Resources page on the college website.

Illustration Courtesy Dallas College

Staying smart, doing our part, Dallas College town hall on COVID-19 and spring semester Dara Jones Editor-In-Chief As Dallas County spikes into the COVID19 red zone with a record number of cases, Dallas College hosted an employee town hall meeting Dec. 2 to explore the impact of the pandemic on the college, its campuses and the surrounding communities.

Joining Dallas College Chancellor Joe May were Dr. Frederick Cerise, president and chief executive officer of Parkland Hospital and Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, among those who helped May develop the college response to COVID-19.

“I listen to our two guests who, really, I have found give great insight and great advice and realize that [there’s] little guidance from either the federal government or the state of Texas.

In many ways, we’re on our own to make these decisions as both doctors and I have talked about,” May said in a closed-captioned transcript from the virtual event.

Huang said that COVID-19 is rising in Dallas County at an alarming rate and very likely to reach a critical level before the winter

break.

“If you look at where we were at the peak in North Texas, we had 1,700 people in the hospitals in mid-July at the peak. Today, we have over 2,000. We’ve blown past the time where, you know, we were all in crisis mode and wondered how we’re going to pull it off,” he said.

Cerise said that the county’s ICUs were 97% full as of Dec. 2, which meant there were only 25 beds available in all of Dallas County.

May cited the dramatic rise in cases, compounded by the upcoming holidays in which people may be tempted to meet with family members, as the motive for colleges to go completely online until at least Jan. 4.

“We wanted to be sure that we were looking after the health interest of both of our students and our employees,” he said.

As the college seeks to do its part to stem the spread of COVID-19, Huang stressed personal responsibility as critical in fighting the disease.

“Wear the mask, avoid crowds, keep sixfoot distance, wash your hands, don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth. Outdoors is better than indoors. Greater distance is better than less distance,” Huang said. “Just because you

can, doesn’t mean you should.”

Cerise suggested folks consider not traveling at all this holiday season or, if they still choose to, he strongly suggested self-quarantining for two weeks beforehand.

Huang said the initial vaccine roll-out, when approved, will be reserved for healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Each of the vaccines must first be reviewed by the FDA. “The FDA meets on the 10th of this month [Dec. 10] to consider the Pfizer application.

Then, we expect a decision is likely within a week or so after that,” Cerise said. He said that if approved, healthcare workers could start being inoculated by the end of December.

Huang said he doesn’t expect the vaccine to be widely available until sometime in the spring or summer depending on the approval process. He said 60-70% percent of the community will need to be vaccinated in order for there to be community benefit.

Regarding misgivings people may have taking a vaccine that has been developed so quickly, Cerise said “There’s years of work that’s been done for developing vaccines for coronaviruses. This has not just happened in the past several months. There’s tens of

thousands of people that have received these vaccines now.”

Cerise stressed the live COVID virus is not in the two-dose vaccine.

“There’s a decent chance, you know, you might get a little achy or low-grade fever because when your immune system activates, you might feel, you know – you might feel some mild symptoms. That’s part of what you see with vaccinations and activating the immune system,” he said.

Dallas College’s chief critical response officer, Dr. Sharon Davis, said the college will be poised to assist with the distribution of the vaccine when a less volatile version becomes available. Cerise said the Pfizer vaccine will be administered at Parkland Hospital due to the temperature control requirements.

“We’ve reached out to the president of Texas Association of Pharmacists to see if they can utilize our main campus sites as clinics, which our employees and later our students can get the vaccine coming to our main campuses,” she said.

Davis said employees and students can stay abreast of the latest developments on the Dallas College COVID-19 Information and Resources page on the college website.

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The ‘priceless’ 60-year Dylan catalog sold To many music lovers, Bob Dylan’s songbook is priceless. Well, now he’s put a price on it.

The Nobel Prize-winning songwriter sold publishing rights to his catalog of more than 600 songs, one of the greatest treasures in popular music, to the Universal Music Publishing Group, it was announced on Dec. 7.

His collection includes modern standards like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Like a Rolling Stone” through to this year’s 17-minute opus on the Kennedy assassination, “Murder Most Foul.” The body of work may only be matched for its breadth and influence by the Beatles, whose songs

were re-acquired by Paul McCartney in 2017.

The price was not disclosed, but industry experts have suggested the sale is in the range of $300 million to a half-billion dollars.

The sale gives Universal the right, in perpetuity, to lease use of Dylan’s compositions to advertisers and movie, television or video game producers, or anyone who thinks his words and melodies could enhance their product.

Dylan’s team cautioned anyone against thinking this is a sign that the 79-year-old music legend is checking out. Rather, it seems like he’s taking advantage of a favorable business climate to find a comfortable home for

his life’s work.

In cultural terms, Dylan’s catalog is “quite literally priceless,” said Anthony DeCurtis, a veteran music writer and contributing editor at Rolling Stone.

“It has been 60 years and it’s still going strong,” DeCurtis said. “There’s no reason to believe there’s going to be any diminishment in its significance.”

Dylan topped the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time in 2015 and “Like A Rolling Stone” was named by the magazine as the best song ever written. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, the only songwriter to receive the award.

– The Associated Press

Photo The Associated Press

Bob Dylan performs in 2012.

December 8, 2020

CAMPUS/POLITICS 3

Dallas College Foundation gets $9 million to aid students Isjina Luckett Staff Writer Congressional leaders are attempting to pass a COVID-19 relief bill before leaving for their winter recess Dec. 19 as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act or, CARES Act, passed in March, is fast running out of money. While Congress works out the details, Dallas College is encouraging students in need to apply for emergency aid. The Dallas College Foundation has an Emergency Relief Fund to help students connect with financial assistance through CARES Act funds.

“The government funded the CARES Act grants to all colleges in the country. And so we received a little over $9 million for student emergency aid from the government,” Dr. Pyeper Wilkins, Dallas College vice chancellor of Workforce and Advancement, said.

The foundation initially had an emergency fund set up before the pandemic but needed additional funds to help support students as the pandemic progressed.

“We had maybe $200,000 in that fund to begin with and our foundation board approved another million dollars for that fund. So we have very supportive foundation board members who understood that we really needed to help our students,” Wilkins said.

With the CARES Act funds, the foundation can provide additional resources for students in need of technical devices for virtual learning and safety resources needed for classes that require in-person learning.

“We had to order shields and, you know, things that we needed to use when we opened this semester for some courses. We had some CARES Act money for that. So, we still have a little bit for that, and it depends on what it is, but if it’s a need that is safety-related because of coronavirus, then yes, we do have some funds to help pay for that,” Wilkins said.

With speculation of a new relief bill forming, the college hopes to receive additional funding through Congress.

“Well, we certainly hope so. We know that students need money. So of course, you know, we don’t know what the federal government will do, but we are hopeful that they would award more dollars that we can use to help our students, for sure,” Wilkins said.

The foundation is encouraging students who are need of financial help to apply for the emergency aid as the funds are readily available to them.

“We know our students need help and it’s hard sometimes for us to get the word out to students and get them to apply. And, you know, sometimes things sound too good to

Photo Illustration Courtesy Dallas College/Marketing

The CARES Act funds will provide additional technical devices for online learning.

be true. It’s free money for students with an emergency need and people sometimes think that that’s too good to be true, but it’s not,” Wilkins said.

Students who receive emergency aid funding do not have to repay the funds they receive like they would for a bank loan. That’s good news for students who may lose federal unemployment benefits at the end of the year.

At press time, lawmakers are reportedly finalizing a provision that would provide roughly $300 in weekly benefits to those who are unemployed, according to The Associated Press. Students in need of financial assistance should visit the Dallas College Foundation Emergency Aid webpage and fill out an application at https://www.dcccd.edu/resources/pages/ emergency-aid-fund.aspx.

More than 500 bills already sent to Texas Legislature Staff Writer/Managing Editor Republicans will continue their 20-year reign in the Texas Legislature when they reconvene for the 87th regular session on Jan. 12. Anticipated agenda items include COVID19 response, redistricting, the economy and racial justice, according to The Texas Tribune.

Among the more than 500 bills already filed, HB 103, known as the Texas Active Shooter Alert System, would require the Texas Department of Public Safety to create a plan for releasing information to residents within 50 miles of an active shooter event.

House Bills 52 and 245 would require gun dealers who sell firearms at gun shows to comply with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. House Bill 185 would make the improper storage of privately owned firearms a crime and HB 201 would repeal the Carry on Campus law, which allows concealed handgun licensed individuals to bring guns on campus.

Where abortion is concerned, the proposed HB 69 would ban abortions after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, as opposed to current policies which would do so after 20 weeks. If enacted, the bill is set to go into effect Sept.

1, 2021.

Texas legislators will begin their new political season starting Jan. 12.

Two bills regarding law enforcement are up for consideration. House Bill 88, The George Floyd Act, would limit the use of force by police and ban the use of chokeholds in response to the protests that erupted across the country in response to the killing of Floyd

Photo The Associated Press

by Minneapolis police in May. On a lighter note, the Legislature may take up a bill with football fans in mind. House Bill 371 would declare the day after the Super Bowl an official state holiday.

As lawmakers prepare for their new session,

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Damon Craig/Angela Ly

it is unclear how they’ll handle COVID-19 safeguards. The issue appears to fluctuate between each member’s jurisdictions. State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) told the Tribune that his staff did not plan to require masks and his “office will be open to all.”

The chair of the committee handling administrative operations in the Texas House informed lobbyists of potential requirements that include wearing a mask in all public parts of the Texas Capitol and limiting the number of people allowed inside the building.

“We’re going to plan for an outbreak in the Capitol. I think we have to,” State Rep. Charlie Geren, (R-Fort Worth) said. Geren said those entering the Capitol will be tested and visitors may be required to schedule appointments in advance.

During a presentation to the Profession Advocacy Association of Texas, Geren said the House was also looking at remote voting options for its chamber which would allow voting on bills to occur in various parts of the Capitol without having to be present on the floor.

Along with the more than 500 bills already filed, redistricting will likely be the most contentious topic as Texas redraws district lines based on the 2020 Census. Lawmakers along with the State Board of Education will work to create districts that reflect the state’s increased population.

Tumultuous 2020: a

4 NATIONAL/LOCAL

Photo Associated Press

Bidwell Bar Bridge, Oroville, CA Sept. 9.

Photo Associated Press

Sen. Harris and President-Elect Biden.

January

May

• President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial goes to the Senate • COVID-19 hits the U.S. • Kobe Bryant and eight others die in a helicopter crash

• Texas economy reopens amid spike in COVID cases • National protests in response to George Floyd killing by Minneapolis police • Richland College graduation takes place online • DCCCD becomes Dallas College

February • Trump acquitted by the Senate • Coronavirus declared a global emergency • Dallas College transition to one name for all campuses announced • Harvey Weinstein convicted of sexual assault

March • Leaning Tower of Dallas • Stock Market Crash • Richland Campus closed due to pandemic • Dallas County “stay home, stay safe” order issued

April • Virtual Easter takes place during quarantine • Texas Governor Greg Abbott begins Texas economy reboot • Naval secretary fired for defending safety of crew in pandemic

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December 8, 2020

Protests in Dallas on Memorial Day.

June • Former Vice President Joe Biden becomes Democratic presidential nominee • National Guard launches tear gasses on demonstrators for Trump church photo op • Confederate statues and monuments targeted amid social justice protests

july • Rep. John Lewis of Georgia dies • Remains of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen found • Twitter Hack • Epstein girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell arrested for recruiting girls for sex • Protests break out in Hong Kong under new security law

Photo Associated Press

Romelia Navarro, 64, weeps while hugging her husband, Antonio, in his final moments in a COVID-

Turbulent year end Angela Ly

Managing Editor The year 2020 began with the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump on Jan. 16. At the same time, a new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was emerging in Wuhan, China, potentially stemming from a wild animal sold at market.

The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the United States on Jan. 22, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases grew exponentially in the first few months causing Dallas College to move to online classes following spring break. With a lack of national leadership, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins issued a “stay home, stay safe’ directive to “flatten the curve” of illness at area hospitals.

President Trump was acquitted by the Senate on Feb. 5 and was criticized for his lack of response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He claimed the virus would dissipate by Easter Sunday [April 12] but that didn’t happen. By May, Governor Greg Abbott began reopening the Texas economy and Dallas County Community College graduation was held online. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was the keynote speaker. DCCCD transitioned to Dallas College in May, with one name for the seven campuses and a restructuring of the administration.

In June, a bystander’s video captured the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police. Protests broke out across the country and around the world in an international cry for racial justice. Confederate monuments fell in cities across the country and athletes “took a knee” for social change.

In July, civil rights icon, Representative John Lewis (D-GA) lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Lewis was eulogized by three former presidents and others who called upon young Americans to continue the work of fighting injustice.

The Asian “murder hornets” arrived in

a year like no other

NATIONAL/LOCAL 5

New Dallas College logo

august • ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman dies • Asian “murder hornets” arrive in U.S • Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) chosen as vice president on Democratic ticket • Washington, Oregon and California decimated by wildfires

september

-19 unit at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Calif., on July 31, 2020.

Photo Associated Press

ds on a hopeful note Washington in August. The giant bees posed the most danger to honeybees. Wildfires ravaged California, destroying millions of acres and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) was chosen to join Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as vice president on the national ticket.

September saw the death of another American icon. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a fierce defender of women’s rights, died of pancreatic cancer. Senate Republicans quickly approved, by a 51-48 vote, the nomination of conservative Amy Coney Barrett to the high court.

The Texas State Fair, a long-standing tradition in Dallas, was held as a drive-through event as the coronavirus continued to tear through the population. The remains of a 20-year-old soldier who had been missing for months from Fort Hood were uncovered. Her murder was allegedly committed by another soldier at the base.

NBA basketball took place in a bubble and the Dallas Stars made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. And then, the president and First Lady

announced they had tested positive for COVID-19.

Early voting got underway in November and Joe Biden became the president elect.

Not one to give up without a fight, Trump claimed election fraud and demanded multiple recounts in the battleground states. Even with the recounts, Biden continued to win both the popular and Electoral College votes.

Despite his public claims, Trump lost numerous cases in court due to lack of evidence. At press time, the Supreme Court rejected his last-gasp bid to reverse the vote in Pennsylvania.

A tornado hit Arlington days before Thanksgiving and the cases of coronavirus continued to the rise across America with a record high 200,000 cases per day. But there is hope on the horizon. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve a vaccine in upcoming days.

• Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies • Dallas College classes to be “mostly online” for spring • Record hurricane season with 28 named storms • Student athletes lead demand for social justice • Texas State Fair hosts drive-through event • NBA takes place in a “bubble” • Bear fire outside SF burns • Twenty-six soldiers die at Fort Hood • Dallas Stars head to Stanley Cup Finals

october • President and First Lady test positive for COVID-19 •Senate approves nominee Amy Coney Barrett as new Supreme Court justice

Photo courtesy Fair Park First/Spectra

Fair Park food giveaway Nov. 14.

• Guitarist Eddie Van Halen dies • James Bond actor Sean Connery dies • Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott injured

november • President-elect Joe Biden wins national election • Trump claims election fraud without proof • Tornado hits Arlington • Massive food distribution at Fair Park in Dallas • Stock market hits record high • ‘Jeopardy’ game show host Alex Trebek dies • Dallas College goes all remote due to COVID outbreak

december • U.K. begins administering Pfizer’s COVID vaccine • COVID-19 vaccine awaits FDA approval in the U.S. • COVID-19 reaches record high 200,000 cases per day • Fort Hood soldiers fired over violence at the base • Supreme Court rejects GOP attempt to reverse Biden victory in Pennsylvania

President Trump at Mount Rushmore National Memorial July 3.

Photo Associated Press

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December 8, 2020

6 CAMPUS/HEALTH

December 8, 2020

Richland professor takes the long road to Texas Ryan Bingham Duff

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Staff Writer Professor Michael Li traveled half-way around the world in pursuit of education and the opportunity to teach before arriving at the Richland Campus of Dallas College. Li has been teaching geology and environmental science at the Richland Campus for five years.

Born in Hong Kong, Li emigrated to Toronto, Canada his senior year in high school. He attended the University of British Columbia where he received his bachelor’s degree in astronomy and went on to earn two master’s degrees; one in environmental science from Hardin-Simmons and another in geology from the University of Dallas.

“I just feel like it’s a better opportunity for me to study overseas,” he said. “I like the way the students are self-disciplined.”

In 2010, Li applied for an F-1 visa to the U.S. and, because Hong Kong has historically had a special relationship with the United States, his goals were not impossible to reach.

To speed up the process, Li hired an immigration lawyer.

“We were treated differently,” Li said, “And that’s why the people or the students in Hong Kong are able to get student visas a little bit easier.”

Li was relieved when a bill to deport international students due to COVID-19 restrictions was overturned earlier this year. The proposal would have ousted international students who had applied for online courses and were physically unable to be present on campus.

“Under this kind of special circumstances where we have contaminants going on and by having this restriction on international students where they’d have to be forced on campus is just not humane,” Li said. “Most of the people were just sad. You don’t expect someone to be exposed to a greater risk just for the sake of staying here.”

Li holds a residential permit and said that he

plans to become a U.S. citizen in a few years.

He said it’s important to vote and enjoyed following the presidential election with his daughter.

“I think this is a good chance to show some news about it to my 6-year-old. She recently started learning about the history of the Statue of Liberty. The core values of U.S.A., freedom, must be maintained to the next generations.

Combining what’s happening both in Hong Kong and U.S., it’s a great lesson for kids,” he said.

Li thinks many Americans don’t realize the importance of being able to vote.

“Being able to vote is a privilege and, especially from a person like me, coming from a country which is communistic; you don’t have that privilege,” Li said.

Although the citizens of Hong Kong have a right to vote, their vote only partially counts toward the majority. The rest is made up of the 70 seats of the Legislative Council and the 35 seats of the functional constituencies, according to the South China Morning Post.

“It’s a little more complicated than the numbers,” he said.

Li said that the Hong Kong government also sometimes sells political favors.

“Someone offers you, I don’t know, something like a gift, or some money, OK, and to try to tell you ‘please support this person,’” he said.

Li expressed a deep concern over new laws being passed in Hong Kong.

“Yes, the extradition bill didn’t pass, but another even more worrying law passed,” he said, referring to the National Security Law. “This law allows China to arrest anyone who they ‘think’ is a threat to the national security.

Ironically, the time when this law passed was also the time when a lot of [the] protests ceased. You can guess why,” he said. “Still, somehow the protests go on but are more suppressed. Even reporters are sometimes banned by police in areas without reasons.”

Staff Photo Ryan Bingham Duff

Ryan Bingham Duff, up top, and Professor Michael Li during a videocall through Webex.

Photo Illustration Courtesy Anna Shvets

The grim parallels between the HIV epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic Angela Ly

Editor-in-chief The HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 90s was what the COVID-19 pandemic is for society today. According to Dallas College presenters during a World AIDS Day Webex conference on Dec. 1, both are global interferences that have afflicted tens of millions of people. Thirty million people were infected

by HIV/AIDS by 1997 and 64 million people currently with coronavirus.

“It was in 1989 by a small group of people, many of whom were therapists, and they realized there was no place for people with AIDS to go and get support and help. And back in the earliest of days, you know, gay people couldn’t tell other gay people they had HIV. There was so much stigma and so much discrimination,” said Melissa Grove, executive director of Legacy Cares, a special-care facility for people with AIDS in critical condition.

Grove stressed the rejection people with HIV faced with their friends, families and in the public 30 years ago. Those who were sick resorted to living in nursing homes, with several dying alone without care, feeling desperate and having nowhere to turn. There was one drug for those testing positive to lean on: AZT or azidothymidine, an antiretroviral drug.

“Back then it was a death sentence. People were dying, right [and] left. There was one drug.

And that’s all they had, so they were giving it to people and people were emaciated,” Grove said. “They looked really sick and this is kind of an image I think a lot of people have of what a person with HIV looks like. They think they’ll be able to spot them out of a crowd and that just isn’t the case.”

One of the most notable similarities between HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 is the amount of misinformation, according to Grove.

“I think there’s a lot of misinformation. A lot of people who don’t want to face reality, so they’re ignoring it with treacherous results. A lot of people are being torn from their families and separated and isolated because of it. The misinformation is what always gets me about

HIV to this day. Some people think you get infected and die instantly and some people think it’s cured,” she said.

Grove recalled a time when a woman who tested positive was forced to live in her garage after her family discovered her test result.

“They bought a whole separate set of dishes so she could eat off of those. The public health crisis of our moment does have a lot of similarities because fear and denial are really playing a huge part in both of these and misinformation,” she said.

Despite some shared commonalities, among the most distinguishable traits between HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 is their differing timelines and varying degrees of support.

“One of the great griefs people with COVID-19 are mentioning is this isolation.

Not only about prevention, but also about how they’re dealing with death,” panelist Wade Hyde said. “That people are having to die alone. Unlike the years that places like Legacy and AIDS services in Dallas, there really are no support services for COVID-19. AIDS tend to last a really long time, COVID-19 seems to be a relatively rapid progression.”

As major pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna are inching toward vaccine distribution for COVID-19, progress with HIV medication can also be readily seen today.

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a preventative medication for individuals who are at risk for HIV from injection drug use or unprotected sex. PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) can also be taken to prevent HIV after possible exposure. PEP can be accessed through hospitals and should only be taken during emergencies and within 72 hours after potential exposure, according to CDC. U = U stands for undetectable equals untransmittable, which means an individual who has less than 29 colonies of HIV for six months will not transmit the virus. Grove has compared this concept to a drop of food coloring in a swimming pool.

“You can put a drop of blue food coloring in your swimming pool and go for a swim, your clothes won’t be ruined,” she said.

December 8, 2020

ENTERTAINMENT 7

‘Akira’ is remastered into beautiful 4K Ryan Bingham Duff

Staff Writer In anticipation of the Christmas-week digitally remastered Blu-ray release of Katsuhiro Otomo’s animated film classic “Akira,” the revamped 1988 import was screened at select theaters across the United States on Sept. 24.

Adapted from the 1982 anime graphic novel series, “Akira” was remastered using 4K screen quality. The makeover retains the original cast of Japanese voice actors.

It’s is the story of brotherhood, philosophy, government and politics among a dystopian society in Japan where freedom is hanging by a thread. The story follows two lifelong friendships that go incredibly awry.

Patrons at the AMC Dine-In Mesquite 30 came to see the remastered 4K print.

“I mostly was really interested in, like, the upgraded, you know, remastered visuals. [This is] a lot clearer than the copies I’ve watched for the last 20 years,” said local musician Patrick Smith.

“It was just cool to see it on a big screen.

We just watched it on my TV a few months ago, so it made it 10 times better. Definitely cooler in Japanese because it (the English dub) just takes away from it. It belongs this way.

It’s so much better,” said Shannon Wiley, who attended the screening with Smith.

Bandmate Stephen Goodson enjoyed the improved sound.

“I liked the foley (sound effects) in it. It was great. It was great timing – the glockenspiel – whoever did the sound. I have no idea about any of the details,” Goodson said.

Goodson said he noticed lots of product placement throughout the film for Chanel and

Kaneda drifts his motorcycle in the film “Akira.” Mitsuo Iwata voices Kaneda in the Japanese dub of the film.

Citizen watches.

During the final battle scene when one of the main characters is running his bike through obstacles, the dialogue seemed to talk over the roaring engine and tire traction noise of Kaneda’s trademark motorcycle.

This is one of those films viewers will watch a second or third time to take everything in.

An interesting scene in the film’s prologue features a billboard announcing 147 days until the event. Underneath the dilapidated billboard, a message in Japanese graffiti reads, “Just cancel it.”

That image prompted a Facebook user to create a meme implying that the film predicted the coronavirus pandemic and the

Photo Courtesy IMDb

postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics to be held in Japan. It was shared more than 32,000 times.

“Akira” is filled with non-stop action that will satisfy those begging for anime action and destruction. It will be released on Blu-ray Dec. 22.

Grade: A-

“The Gentlemen” – This Guy Ritchie-directed action crime-comedy finds Texan and Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey as an expat living over the pond in London as a drug dealer whose only drug is marijuana. Great ensemble cast features Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery (TV”s “Downton Abbey”) and Henry Golding.

Grade: A

“Antebellum” – In this horrormystery drama, Janelle Monáe’s writer character, Veronica Hentley, is transported to a pre-Civil War era wherein slavery is the norm and life looks very bleak for most individuals. This weird and strange concoction comes from directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. It contains a weird “Twilight Zone” feeling throughout.

Grade: A

“Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn” – This enjoyable yarn finds Margot Robbie’s title character on her own after she gets dumped by her onetime flame “The Joker.” Of course, she causes mayhem, adopts a hyena and befriends a group of female friends who show her what to do in the world. This one contains a strange color hue throughout the entire story. It also stars Ewen McGregor and is directed by Cathy Yan. Grade: A

“Enola Holmes” – Millie Bobby Brown portrays the younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill), who finds her own adventure in a time from long ago. This Netflix original is fun and contains a lot of fourth-wall breaking. Enola also features mom Helena Bonham Carter sharing great rapport with Brown, a key part of the story.

Grade: A-

Photos Courtesy IMDb

“The Call of the Wild” – Harrison Ford is only part of this story that involves a restless dog named Buck who finds his own adventure aplenty. A grizzled Ford talks with Buck like a person and displays a strong dose of empathy throughout. In one part of the story, Buck chases away a bear that is essentially the bully of the river. Based on the novel by Jack London.

Grade: B+ -Ricky Miller

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Ricky’s Top Films for 2020

8 SOCIAL MEDIA

December 8, 2020

Don’t snooze when there’s fake news CHRONICLE Richland

STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS

Dara Jones

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Design Editor Entertainment Editor Online/Special Projects Online/Special Projects

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Editor-in-chief I received an email from a friend depicting two robots ballroom dancing. I clicked on the link out of curiosity and watched the performance of the tuxedo-dressed robot man and beautifully skirted robot woman in awe.

They twirled. They swooned. They danced with a subtleness that, at least in the past, only human beings were capable of. There was no hint of mechanical stiffness. None. The email claimed that people were paying up to $75 to watch the two dance for five minutes. I knew that robot technology has progressed these days, but it just seemed a little too real.

My reporter instinct kicked in. A while back I took a class in which one of my assignments was to define an example of fake news. That very day I had seen something very plausible in my newsfeed on Facebook that depicted President Barack Obama visibly hanging a medal of honor around the neck of former President Bill Clinton, actor Bill Cosby, film producer Harvey Weinstein and former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). The caption said, “I didn’t know there was a sexual predator award. Thanks Democrats.”

In the past, I might’ve thought poorly of Obama for doing something so dumb and moved on in my Facebook feed, but I decided to check it out just in case. The fact checking website, snopes.com, declared the photos were altered with exception of the one of Clinton. The award recipients were actually then Vice President Joe Biden, musician Bruce Springsteen and actor Tom Hanks. Cosby had received an award from former President George W. Bush long before his criminal conviction. The original photographs were also available on the site.

With that same knowledge in mind, I also looked up the dancing robots and sure enough the video came from a 2013 clip from the British television show “Strictly Come Dancing,” featuring dancers Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Škorjanec. These folks were not robots.

I’m thankful to my class for pulling my head out of the sand. I had been getting news and anger-provoking information from my Facebook feed. I was in an information silo and wasn’t even aware of it.

So, I have started wondering, what is fake news? When I hear the term coming from certain politicians, they may, at times, be referring to accurate news that puts them in an unfavorable light and may attempt to dismiss it with a wave of the hand by calling it “fake news.”

In a video tweeted by MSNBC, awardwinning PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor asked President Donald Trump on March 13 about his earlier disbanding of the White House pandemic response office and whether he took responsibility for the valuable time lost in dealing with the pandemic crisis. Rather than answering her question, Trump attacked her saying she asked a nasty question and went on to glowingly tout

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Photo comparation between, an edited picture of Harvey Weinstein being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former president Barack Obama, right, and the original photograph where the then vicepresident Joe Biden is awarded the same award, left.

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An edited photo of then president Barack Obama giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Bill Cosby, is compared to the original photograph where Bruce Springsteen is given the same award in the White House in a ceremony in November 22, 2016.

his handling of the pandemic.

When I spoke with Meg Fullwood, one of Richland’s journalism department advisers about the fake news phenomenon – especially where Trump was concerned, she told me that in the field of public relations, the goal is to control the narrative. She suggested I look into the writing of author Edward Bernays, considered by many to be the father of public relations.

In his book “Propaganda,” Bernays said, “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”

“Trump is a master of this,” Fullwood said.

As we talked I remembered that for months he’d been saying the election was going to be fraudulent. Indeed, after it was over and it was evident Biden had won, Trump alleged fraud even more vigorously. This is not new.

According to a CNN news article, Trump alleged voter fraud was the reason he did not win the popular vote against candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

On Nov. 27, 2016, Trump tweeted, “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”

Even today, a large group of his core followers and fellow Republicans adhere to this election fraud narrative, which, to date, has not been upheld by the courts. It has even been refuted by Trump appointees Attorney General William Barr and Christopher Krebs, head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, who was fired by Trump for stating that the 2020 presidential election was “the most secure in American history.”

Barr told The Associated Press that U.S. attorneys and the FBI failed to uncover

evidence of voter fraud, amid speculation that he too might be fired for his comments.

“Ask me that in a number of weeks from now,” Trump told AP when asked Dec. 1 if he still had confidence in the attorney general.

I think it behooves each of us, in the information age, to become information detectives.

What if I had just accepted the dancing robots or the pictures of Obama awarding medals to sexual predators? What if I had taken Trump’s word that Alcindor asks “nasty questions” or the many other times he has tweeted allegations and falsehoods. If I hadn’t checked, I’d be believing lies. When in doubt, check it out.

We all encounter fake news on a daily basis.

Now, when I see something come up in my Facebook feed or other webpage, I immediately look to see if it is a “sponsored post” which means someone paid to put it there. If it’s a repost from a friend, I check for the same information on reputable media websites, such as New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NBC or Fox News. In fact, I think it always is a good idea to hit several news outlets when consuming news.

Even among news-gathering organizations there is a spectrum of bias from left to right.

I try to consume news from both sides of the spectrum in pursuit of the truth. If I’m not seeing the story outside of a social media site, that’s a red flag. Real news will hit the real news organizations and not be confined to social media feeds.

As far as politicians, these days there’s probably more to check out than time in the day. Fortunately, there are fact-checking sites such the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s nonpartisan website factcheck.org and snopes. com to sort out myths and rumors. Both have done some of the checking for us which will help us all be more savvy citizens as well as informed voters.

Hey, look, Facebook just banned the Lord’s Prayer...

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SPORTS 9

December 8, 2020

Dallas Cowboys limp through the season Sports Writer

It’s been a heartbreaking two weeks for the Dallas Cowboys. The team heads into Week 13 in last place in the NFC East after announcing that strength and conditioning Coach Markus Paul passed away Nov. 25. Paul was rushed to the hospital the day before for due to a medical emergency. He was 54. The cause of death is pending. The Cowboys canceled practice, although to date Paul’s death does not appear to be COVID related.

Paul was a former NFL safety who played for the Chicago Bears (1989-93) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993). He was in his third season with the Cowboys staff after previously being a strength and conditioning coach with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, New York Jets and New York Giants.

Twenty-four hours after learning the news, the Cowboys had an important divisional game against the Washington Football Team.

Coming off an impressive win against the Minnesota Vikings on Week 11, the Cowboys were on pace to capture the No. 1 spot in the NFC East, another step in securing a playoff spot.

Unfortunately, with the passing of Paul on the players’ mind and a short week playing

Photo The Associated Press

The late Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning coordinator Markus Paul, left, talks with coach Mike McCarthy during NFL football training camp in Arlington.

on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, the Cowboys fell short 16-41 to Washington. After the devastating loss, the Cowboys dropped to last place in the NFC East. With four games left, the Cowboys must win all four to at least have a chance to win the NFC East. At press time, the Cowboys were scheduled to take on the

Baltimore Ravens the evening of Dec. 8.

When it comes to COVID-19 versus the NFL in week 12, it is safe to say COVID-19 won. From a practice squad wide receiver play quarterback to the first Wednesday game in 70 years on Dec. 2, the season has been a wild roller coaster ride.

Denver Broncos’ third string quarterback Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19.

Second string Brett Rypien, practice squad veteran Joe Flacco and starting quarterback Drew Lock were all in the quarterback room with Driskel and, therefore, must follow COVID-19 protocols to avoid potential spread.

The game continued despite the quarterback team testing positive. The Broncos started wide receiver Kendall Hinton from the practice squad. Hinton played quarterback for three seasons in college and running back Royce Freeman was the team’s emergency QB. The Broncos lost to the Saints 31-3. Hinton completed one pass out of nine attempts.

The Baltimore Ravens had COVID-19 issues as well. Unlike the Broncos, however, the Ravens were unable to play their game on the scheduled day. The Ravens were scheduled to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 26), but after many positive tests, the game was postponed to Sunday (Nov. 29).

Due to more COVID-19 cases in the Ravens organization, the game was moved to Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 2), making it the first Wednesday NFL game since 1950.

The Steelers won 19-14 making them the only undefeated team in the league with a record of 11-0.

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Jalen Jordan

10

December 8, 2020

Awaiting 2021

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