May 1 - The Egalitarian

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Wednesday, May 1, 2019 • Vol. 48, No. 5 • HCCEgalitarian.com

game of thrones hits high gear in final season See Page 4

Texas House passes pot bill; GOP Senate leader looks to block Virginia Grant

vgrant@hccegalitarian.com Decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana took a huge step forward Monday when the Texas House of Representatives voted its approval of House Bill 63 by state Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso).

The measure as passed stops short of legalization and instead reduces the penalty for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from a Class B misdemeanor to a non-arrestable Class C misdemeanor ticket.

Punishment would be limited to

a small fine and a short probationary period that would result in no conviction and eligibility for destruction of records in most cases. The bill also removes the mandatory six-month driver’s license suspension that currently accompanies a marijuana conviction.

“H.B. 63 has been a five-yearlong journey,” said Moody, the House speaker pro tempore. “It’s one that I began as a prosecutor when I saw firsthand how taxpayer dollars were being wasted on an ineffective enforcement system that ruined lives over such a petty offense. Each year,

Texas spends more than $730 million on over 75,000 arrests, almost all of which are for small, personal-use amounts of marijuana.”

HB 63 passed the Republican controlled House with strong bi partisan support in a 104 to 43 vote. This is not surprising as the Texas Republican Party has changed it platform on Marijuana Legislation. Last year, the delegates at the Republican Party of Texas convention on Saturday voted to approve platform

see Pot Bill, Page 2

Eric Gay/AP File Photo Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right, gives his State of the State address as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, listens in the House Chamber in Austin, Texas. Texas’ tough stance on marijuana as the drug becomes increasingly legal elsewhere in the U.S. has grounded a bipartisan push in the state to decriminalize minor offenses — a change the Texas GOP platform has come around to endorsing, but not Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

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criminal, offense for legal adults only to possess one ounce or less of marijuana for personal use, punishable by a fine of up to $100, but without jail time,” reads one of the party’s new reported

by Forbes contributor Tom Angell in 2018.

The House vote is only a first step in the legislative process the measure still must pass the Sen-

ate. It is not likely to fare as well in the Senate. With only a few weeks left in this session as a low priority issue it is not expected to make it to the floor for a vote.

“I try not to bring issues that are going to be time-consuming if they are not going to get support. At this stage time is value.

I still don’t want to do a showand-tell,” said state Sen. John

Whitmire, who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. “I’d like to have a hearing on something that’s got some traction.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who serves as president of the state Senate, quashed hopes of Senate approval when he tweeted that the bill “is dead in the @Texas Senate. I join with those House Republicans who oppose this step

toward legalization of marijuana.”

Even if HB 63 passes the Senate, it still needs the governor’s signature to become law. Gov. Greg Abbott does not openly back the bill. However, Moody said his office has worked diligently with him to craft it. Several of the recent amendments were made to accommodate the governor’s concerns.

4-Day Weather Outlook

pot Bill, From Page 1 planks endorsing marijuana decriminalization, medical cannabis and industrial hemp. They are also calling for a change in cannabis’s classification by the federal government.

“We support a change in the law to make it a civil, and not a

HCC POLICE BLOTTER (INCIDENTS COMPLIED FROM HCC CRIME LOG AVAILABLE AT HTTP://BIT.LY/2MHVOJJ Case Number: 19-000305 Offense: Harassment Reported on: 4/29/2019 at 3:00pm Incident occurred on: 4/29/2019 at 3:00pm Location: Stafford Campus Building: Learning Hub Description: Student reported she received unwanted and repeated text messages from another student in her class.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000306 Offense: Criminal Mischief Reported on: 4/29/2019 at 9:00pm Incident occurred on: 4/29/2019 at 8:00pm Location: Eastside Campus Building: Workforce Building Description: Student intentionally punched a hole in a classroom wall.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000298 Offense: Burglary of Vehicle Reported on: 4/26/2019 at 11:40am Incident occurred on: 4/26/2019 at 11:00am-11:30am Location: North Forest Campus Building: 6010 Little York Description: Contractor’s equipment was stolen from the bed of his truck.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000299 Offense: Theft Reported on: 4/26/2019 at 2:00pm Incident occurred on: 4/26/2019 at 1:00pm -1:50pm Location: Hayes Road Campus Building: 2811 Hayes Road Description: Student’s unattended laptop was stolen on 4/26/19 and recovered 4/29/2019.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000300 Offense: Theft Reported on: 4/26/2019 at 3:00pm Incident occurred on: 4/26/2019 at 1:30pm Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: San Jacinto Memorial

Description: Houston Food Bank’s radio was stolen between April 5 and April 26, 2019 from the College Food Pantry.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000292 Offense: Public Lewdness Reported on: 4/24/2019 at 8:30pm Incident occurred on: 4/24/2019 at 8:15pm Location: Stafford Campus Building: Scarcella Description: Adults were engaged in sexual contact in a bathroom stall.

Student was referred to Student Services. Non-student was issued a criminal trespass warning.

Disposition: Closed Case Number: 19-000289 Offense: Indecent Exposure Reported on: 4/24/2019 at 8:30am Incident occurred on: 4/24/2019 at 8:30am Location: Spring Branch Campus Building: Spring Branch Building Description: Unidentified adult male was masturbating in the parking lot.

He fled before police were called.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000288 Offense: Burglary of Vehicle Reported on: 4/24/2019 at 1:00pm Incident occurred on: 4/24/2019 at 11:30am-1:00pm Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: Parking Lot 3 Description: Employee’s vehicle was burglarized while she was at work.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000281 Offense: Burglary of Vehicle Reported on: 4/18/2019 at 12:30pm Incident occurred on: 4/18/2019 at 12:30pm Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: Parking Lot 1 Description: Patrol officers found two vehicles with shattered windows in Lot 1.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000278

Offense: Indecent Exposure Reported on: 4/17/2019 at 3:30pm Incident occurred on: 4/17/2019 at 3:15pm Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: Learning Hub Description: Unidentified male exposed himself and was masturbating in the library. He fled before police were called.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000275 Offense: Theft Reported on: 4/16/2019 at 3:40pm Incident occurred on: 4/16/2019 at 1:30pm Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: Fine Arts Center Description: Unattended laptop and clothing were stolen in a hallway.

The clothing was later recovered.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000273 Offense: Disorderly Conduct Reported on: 4/15/2019 at 1:20pm Incident occurred on: 4/15/2019 at 1:20pm Location: Hayes Road Campus Building: 2811 Hayes Road Description: Two students were involved in a verbal altercation, separated, and referred to student services.

Disposition: Closed Case Number: 19-000274 Offense: Theft Reported on: 4/15/2019 at 3:45pm Incident occurred on: 4/15/2019 at 3:00pm Location: Central - South Campus Building: Willie Gay Hall Description: Unattended cell phone was stolen from the restroom.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000269 Offense: Theft Reported on: 4/13/2019 at 1:20pm Incident occurred on: 4/13/2019 at 9:00am-1:15pm Location: Central - Midtown Cam-

pus Building: Learning Hub Description: Student’s cable style lock was cut and his bicycle was stolen.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000266 Offense: Possession of a Controlled Substance Reported on: 4/11/2019 at 4:30pm Incident occurred on: 4/11/2019 at 4:30pm Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: Central Midtown Campus Area - Off Campus Description: Police officer observed two adults with a controlled substance near Isabella and San Jacinto.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000265 Offense: Theft Reported on: 4/11/2019 at 12:30pm Incident occurred on: 4/11/2019 at 11:00am Location: Katy Campus Building: 1550 Fox Lake Description: Student’s unattended book bag was stolen.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000264 Offense: Theft Reported on: 4/10/2019 at 7:30pm Incident occurred on: 4/10/2019 at 5:30pm-7:30pm Location: West Loop Campus Building: 5601 West Loop South Description: Student’s vehicle was stolen from the parking lot.

Disposition: Open Case Number: 19-000262 Offense: Disorderly Conduct Reported on: 4/10/2019 at 1:30pm Incident occurred on: 4/10/2019 at 1:15pm Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: Central Midtown Campus Area - Off Campus Description: Student was subjected to verbally sexually explicit harassment by an unidentifed suspect in between the Metro rail and campus.

Disposition: Open

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3 News N.C. campus shooting leaves 2 dead, 4 injured

Egal•i•tar•i•an (adjective) aiming for equal wealth, status, etc., for all people

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SPRING 2019 EGALITARIAN STAFF Editor-in-Chief.............................................Ana Gonzalez News Editor................................................................ TBA Sports Editor.................................................. Joey Garcia Culture Editor.............................................. Virginia Grant Photo Editor............................................................... TBA Social Media Mgr....................................................... TBA Staff Writer.............................................Frederick Barnes Staff Writer....................................................Vivian Reyes Staff Writer............................................Esmerelda Rocha Staff Writer..............................................Jazmin Sanchez Staff Writer................................................................. TBA Staff Photographer..................................................... TBA ——— The Egalitarian has been the official student newspaper of the Houston Community College System since September 1974.

The Egalitarian is published bi-monthly, every other Wednesday except during holiday breaks.

Print circulation is 4,000 copies per issue and distributed to selected HCC campuses in the Houston, Spring Branch, Alief, Katy, North Forest and Fort Bend areas. Comments and contributions are always welcome.

Deadlines for contributions and advertisements are one week before the issue print date.

The Egalitarian is written and edited by students of Houston Community College. This publication does not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, interests, attitudes and tastes of the Board of Trustees, HCC administration, faculty, staff or students.

Opinions and editorial content of The Egalitarian that are unsigned do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Egalitarian staff or adviser. The Egalitarian reserves the right to edit any submitted material for grammatical errors, offensive language, libelous materials and space constraints. It may also refuse any advertising that does not adhere to the HCC mission.

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The Egalitarian staff consists of HCC students who must complete all tasks required to produce the newspaper, which serves all campuses of the HCC System. We want all students from all majors to contribute. However, we must follow our submissions policy in order to operate under our limitations of time, energy and staff.

All staff and contributing writers must be currently enrolled students at Houston Community College. The Egalitarian interacts with contributing writers via e-mail and telephone.

Visiting The Egalitarian will not help contributors get published, only quality work will.

Publication priority is given to staff members and assigned articles, and verbal commitments for assignments will not be accepted or recognized.

Press releases, story ideas, news tips and suggestions are always welcomed.

Any student interested in joining The Egalitarian staff may request more detailed information regarding story length, topics, style, etc., by e-mailing The Egalitarian Faculty Adviser Fredrick Batiste at fredrick.batiste@hccs.edu.

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Tom Foreman Jr. & Sarah Blake Morgan Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man armed with a pistol opened fire on students in a classroom building at a North Carolina university during the last day of classes Tuesday, killing two people and wounding four others, police said. Officers who had gathered ahead of a campus concert raced over and disarmed the suspect in the room where the shooting happened.

The shooting prompted a lockdown at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and caused panic across campus as students sheltered in place.

Campus Police Chief Jeff Baker said authorities received a call around 4:40 p.m. that a suspect armed with a pistol had shot several students. He said officers assembling nearby for a concert rushed to the scene, where they apprehended the male suspect. Authorities did not immediately release the suspect’s identity.

“Our officers’ actions definitely saved lives,” Baker said at a news conference.

He said two people were killed, and three remained in critical condition late Tuesday.

He said a fourth person’s injuries were less serious.

Monfia Drayton, an adjunct professor, was walking onto campus when she heard the shots ring out. She said she began urging students fleeing the danger to go into a parking deck for cover.

“I heard one final gunshot and I saw all the children running toward me,” she said. “We started to get all the children pulled into the second floor of the parking deck and the rationale was if we’re in the parking deck and there’s a shooter and

John Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP Students gather on the campus of the University of North Carolina Charlotte after a shooting Tuesday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C. we don’t know where he is, he won’t have a clear shot.”

She added: “My thought was, I’ve lived my life, I’ve had a really good life, so, these students deserve the same. And so, whatever I could do to help any child to safety, that’s what I was going to do.”

Antonio Rodriguez, 24, who was visiting campus for his friend’s art show, described a chaotic scene.

“Just loud bangs. A couple loud bangs and then we just saw everyone run out of the building, like nervous, like a scared run like they were looking behind,” he said.

Shortly after UNC Charlotte issued a campus lockdown, aerial shots from local television news outlets showed police officers running toward a building, while another view showed students running on a campus sidewalk.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department later said that the campus had been secured and that officers were going through buildings to let people who had sheltered in place know that it was safe.

The university has more than 26,500 students and 3,000 faculty and staff. The campus is

located northeast of the city center and is surrounded by residential areas.

Spenser Gray, a junior, said she was in a campus building near where the shooting happened watching another student’s presentation when they were alerted to the shooting.

“During his presentation which was on one of the campus computers, a popup came up ... that there was an active shooter,” she said, adding that she immediately felt panic and worried the gunman could come to her classroom. “We had no idea where he was ... so we were just expecting them at any moment coming into the classroom.”

Susan Harden, an UNCC professor and Mecklenburg County Commissioner, was at home when she heard of the shooting.

She went to a staging area, she said, to provide support.

Harden said she has taught inside the Kennedy building, where the shootings occurred.

“It breaks my heart. We’re torn up about what’s happened,” Harden said. “Students should be able to learn in peace and in safety and professors ought to be able to do their jobs in safety.”

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Culture

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Thrones hits high gear in final season JOEY GARCIA

jgarcia@hccegalitarian.com “Game of Thrones,” originally published as “A Song of Ice and Fire,” is a series of books written

by American novelist George R. R. Martin. A Song of Ice and Fire consists of seven books, the first being “A Game of Thrones” was first published in 1996.

(WARNING, Game of Thrones Season 8 SPOILERS ahead!)

As the month of April is coming to a close I would like to take a look back at the three most recent episodes.

Episode One: Winterfell After season seven came to close we saw as Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen doing their business, Bran Stark explained to Samwell Tarly that Jon Snow is not Jon nor Snow and Is the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark who married in secret before the events of season one revealing Jon’s true name to be Aegon Targaryen the true heir to the Iron Throne. Meaning Daenerys is Jon’s aunt (yikes).

The episode begins with a boy running through a crowd and climbing up a tree and being greeted to the army of the unsullied marching into Winterfell. The camera switches to Jon Snow and Daenerys riding side by side, the northerners looking at the unsullied and Daenerys with unwelcoming expressions.

Jon tells Daenerys that northerners do not trust outsiders.

It’s clear that the north is divided on Jon’s decision in promising to help Daenerys in her fight to cease the iron throne.

Theon Greyjoy saves his sister Asha from their uncle Euron

Greyjoy’s ship. The White Walkers killed Ned Umber and what was left of his army who were supposed to fight against the white walkers alongside the unsullied, and Dothraki.

Episode Two: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms When you are hours away from fighting humanities worst enemy, what do you do? Well, the Game of Thrones cast said their goodbyes and having what is left of a good time before battling the Night King and his army of white walkers. Brienne of Tarth was made a knight of the seven kingdoms by Jaime Lannister. Arya … well, she had sex with Robert Baratheon’s bastard son Gendry. Bran volunteered to be bait in order to draw the Night King in. And Jon Snow reveals his true identity to Daenerys.

Not much happened in this episode in terms of action but it was heartfelt and you can feel the worst is coming and someone is going to die. With the army of the undead having arrived in Winterfell, things are going to get ugly.

Episode Three: The Long Night The title “The Long Night” is there for a reason, that reason being they fought the White Walkers up until dawn. The Dothraki, the unsullied, and the northern people were standing outside the gates of Winterfell.

Melisandre comes on screen and lends aid by setting the Dothraki blades afire. The Dothraki charged into the white walkers, as they run into a black abyss you see the flames which light their blades slowly go out and their battles cries stopped. After the flames go out, a small number of

Helen Sloan/HBO via AP This image released by HBO shows from left, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Isaac Hempstead Wright, and Maisie Williams in a scene from “Game of Thrones,” that aired April 21. With the Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow revealing his royal lineage to his potential rival Daenerys Targaryen, the beleaguered army at Winterfell is about to find out if two chief executives better than one. (Helen Sloan/HBO via AP) horses and men come running back followed by the white walkers. Jon and Daenerys helped as much as they could on dragon back until the night king made his appearance on his dragon which at the moment Jon and Daenerys entered a battle which was made difficult as a cloud of fog or mist arose during it.

The white walkers proved too much as the ground forces had to retreat inside the castle.

They then activated the trenches which surrounded Winterfell.

The trenched we’re supposed to be set aflame by Daenerys’ dragon Dracarys but she could not see the signal since the fog was too dense and she was fighting the Night King. So instead Melisandre came to their aid as she used her magic to burn the trenches. The trenches held the white walkers off only for a moment as they slowly started to pile over each other to make bridges for them to go marching inside the castle walls.

Meanwhile, Daenerys and Jon remove the Night king from his dragon, Daenerys thought she had won after she had Dracarys burn him, but he was immune as the fire cleared he was perfectly fine and even had a smirk on his face. Daenerys flew

away in time and barely missed a spear thrown by the Night King, he then started to walk towards Winterfell. Jon, however, was chasing the Night King down and he took notice, as he turned around Jon stopped and stared at the Night King which was a total mistake. The Night King avoided confrontation by raising more undead from the freshly killed northerners and Dothraki and continued walking towards Winterfell.

Back in the castle Arya is wandering around trying to get to Bran but is being chased by white walkers. Sandor “the Hound” Clegain and Beric Dondarrion help Arya, and with the cost of Beric’s life, the Hound and Arya are able to enter a room which they can barricade for a moment. Outside, the fight against the white walkers seemed over, that was until the Night King raised them. Even in the Crypts, where it was supposed to be safe, the undead rose. Jon made it back to the castle to try and protect Bran from being captured and was greeted by another new army of white walkers. Outside the castle, Dracarys was overwhelmed by undead thus knocking Daenerys off. Luckily, Daenerys’ most

trusted friend Jorah Mormont was there to help fend off the white walkers.

At the weirwood tree, Bran is being protected by Theon Greyjoy and other soldiers. In the end, Theon fell to the Night King as he ran at him with a spear and was stabbed through his abdomen by it. Jon could not make it to Bran in time, and the Night King was inches away from killing Bran. That’s until Arya comes running towards the Night King and he grabs and chokes her.

She then switches the dagger from her left hand and dropped it into her right hand, stabbing and killing the Night King crumbling everything he created.

Now with the Night King gone, the next threat is Cerci Lannister. Cerci who said she was going to lend troops to help fight the Night King never did.

Daenerys lost a good number of troops fighting the white walkers and as did Jon, so fighting Cerci will prove more difficult. Euron Greyjoy still controls most of the iron fleet. Cerci also has the ballista that will be used against Daenerys’ dragon. With Jon Snow being the heir to the iron throne, Cerci has more a reason to kill her opponents once word goes around.

Big battle brings record viewing for HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Andrew Dalton

AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES — HBO’s “Game of Thrones” has once again ridden a high body count to a record viewer count.

Sunday’s big-battle episode, the third of the final season, drew 17.8 million viewers either live on the network at 9 p.m., streamed, on-demand or in a rerun that aired later that night, the Nielsen company said.

That made it the week’s mostwatched show cable or broadcast and the most-watched one-day

event ever in HBO’s four decades of existence, topping the “Game of Thrones” season eight premiere, which had 17.4 million viewers two weeks earlier.

The episode known as “The Long Night” was the longest in series history at 1 hour, 22 minutes. It featured a battle between the living and the dead — teased and anticipated since season one — that had a sky-high casualty count even for the famously bloody fantasy series.

Some 12.02 million people watched the episode live, a figure eclipsed only by the season seven

finale.

The May 19 series finale is expected to break both records.

The numbers for Sunday’s episode are likely to grow considerably after delayed and repeat viewings. HBO said 38 million people have now watched the season eight premiere.

CBS shows dominated the rest of the week’s top 10, with “The Big Bang Theory” second, “Young Sheldon” third and “60 Minutes” fourth. That helped it win the week overall in prime time, averaging 4.4 million viewers. NBC had 3.4 million viewers,

ABC had 3 million, Fox had 2 million, ION Television had 1.1 million, Telemundo had 1 million, Univision had 880,000, and the CW had 680,000.

Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.27 million viewers in prime time. TNT had 2 million, ESPN had 1.6 million, MSNBC had 1.58 million and HGTV had 1.2 million.

ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.5 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” was second with 7.7 million and

the “CBS Evening News” had 5.6 million viewers.

For the week of April 22-28, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “Game of Thrones,” HBO, 12.02 million; “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 11.85 million; “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 10.49 million; “60 Minutes,” CBS, 9.27 million; “American Idol,” ABC, 8.74 million; “Chicago Fire,” NBC, 8.11 million; “Chicago Med,” NBC, 7.89 million; “Mom,” CBS, 7.85 million; “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 7.78 million; “The Voice,” NBC, 7.6 million.

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‘Endgame’ caps Marvel’s Infinity Saga JOEY GARCIA

jgarcia@hccegalitarian.com According to Forbes senior contributor Scott Mendelson, “Avengers: Endgame” is nearing the $1.4 billion mark worldwide, topping “Black Panther.” When I went to go see the movie at my local AMC and it was absolutely packed. The lines for the concession were also crowded as not even the VIP line was moving. The ice machines were not working and the soda machines were basically out of soda (Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, and orange soda were completely out). Almost every room had Avengers on it, whether it was the standard, IMAX, or Dolby showing.

Upon entering the room, it was a little underwhelming, but about five minutes before show time the people came rolling in. there were some previews before the movie and the screen came up to turn off or silence your phones because the movie was about to begin. The lights dimmed and the theater was expecting more credits, the movie began with Hawkeye (Clint Barton) at his home barbecuing and practiacing his daughter’s archery skills. It came to everyone’s surprise that this was, in fact, the movie and not another trailer, as you heard some laughter and people whispering “I thought that was a trailer”

(WARNING, Avengers: Endgame SPOILERS ahead)

You should not watch this movie unless you have seen the other MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies or Avengers movies, which is recommended so if you have not, watch this movie at your own risk.

The movie as I said before

starts with Hawkeye barbecuing and practicing his daughter’s archery. He looks away for a moment and his family is gone (because of Thanos’ snap).

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is stuck floating through space playing paper football with Nebula (Karen Gillan). Stark then goes over to his helmet to record his one last message, and then Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) appears and flies Tony and Nebula back to earth. What’s left of the Avengers group up with new blood Captain Marvel. As they lay Tony on a bed after he passed out, Captain Marvel tried to leave and go kill Thanos (Josh Brolin) but was stopped by the remaining Avengers because it was also their fight. Rocket (Bradley Cooper) explains that when Thanos snapped his fingers it created an electromagnetic wave that none has ever seen before, and the group makes plans to try and get the infinity stones and bring everyone back.

Bruce Banner or the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) doubts getting them back and says how do they know it’s not going to end like it did last time, Captain Marvel then replies “because you didn’t have me”. James “Rhodey” Rhodes or War Machine (Don Cheadle) questions Captain Marvel for being a hotshot and asks where has she been while they were fighting Thanos, and she replies with “there are other planets in the universe” (But shouldn’t Earth be her main priority, anyways?)

The Avengers go to Thanos’ “garden” and try to recurve the stones. Thanos then explains that once he used the stones he destroyed them. Thor then decapitates Thanos replying “I

Disney/Marvel Studios via AP This image released by Disney shows, from left, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, the character Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd and Scarlett Johansson in a scene from “Avengers: Endgame.” went for the head”. The team then have the idea to go back in time and grab the stones before Thanos could get a hold of them. They had some hiccups but were finally able to grab the stones. But nebula was captured by Thanos and traveled forward I time where the current Avengers are. Tony Stark makes a gauntlet in which they debate who will use it because when the gauntlet is used it eats away at the user critically injuring them which is why they were able to kill (original timeline) Thanos so quickly and hassle-free. The Hulk volunteered to use the gauntlet, then soon after Thanos destroyed the Avengers base. But the second snap did, in fact, bring everyone back. When the fight scene began it seemed as though the Avengers were outnumbered, that is until a number of dr. strange portals appeared bringing back all the fallen Avengers.

The gauntlet was still intact and had all the stones so every op-

portunity Thanos had to get it he took it.

Thanos took control of the gauntlet and all seemed lost as he snapped his fingers again, meaning half the universes’ population would be erased again. But nothing happened, it turned out Tony Stark when fighting with Thanos, transferred the stones to his own gauntlet. Tony then snapped his fingers and erased Thanos’ army, and making Thanos himself not feel so good, as he sat on rubble with the face of defeat and turned to nothing. But defeating Thanos came at a price as Tony Stark died soon after using the gauntlet. It was time to put the stones back in their respective timelines, Captain America (Chris Evans) was the one to go. The Hulk counted to five to bring him back but the never did, not on the portal at least. Near the river sat a man, when Falcon (Anthony Mackie) went to check, it was an old Captain America. Why old? Be-

cause he decided to live that life Tony was telling him to get, and he passes the shield down to him, more than likely meaning Anthony Mackie will be the next Captain America. as the scene cuts to a young cap and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) dancing to 40’s music and then cutting to credits.

This movie was very well done I personally enjoyed, coming from a DC fan. However online fans seem to think that this will be the last good Marvel film since the original cast will be leaving, and are afraid that Brie Larson will not live up to expectations. Brie Larson has recently sparked outrage in the Marvel community for her comments about middle-aged white males during her speech in Women in Films. Perhaps these are just online trolls, or they could be Marvel fans who are actually upset at the actress. But that does not take away the fact Endgame has made more than $1.2 Billion in just five days.

‘Detective Pikachu’ has potential to wow Pokémon fans, new and old Ana Gonzalez

agonzalez@hccegalitarian.com Don’t worry, this review is spoiler-free.

From the TV show to the video games, to the toys from McDonalds and Burger King, who knew that after 20 years Pokémon would finally get a live-action movie. Many people wondered how they would pull it off.

With computerized technology becoming the norm nowadays in most movies, filmmakers have the ability to bring artistic creatures to life. Many kids, like myself, wanted to have a Pokémon in real life.

“Pokémon Detective Pikachu” brought a few steps closer to that dream.

Enter Tim Goodwin (played by Justice Smith), who works as an insurance salesman. Growing up, he was never really into Pokémon unlike his friends were. He receives a call from the Ryme City Police Department regarding his father, Harry, an ace detective. Tim takes the train to Ryme City, where he meets up with a special Pikachu.

Both Tim and Pikachu travel throughout the city to find clues to the whereabouts to Tim’s father.

He teams up with Lucy Stevens (played by Kathryn Newton), a reporter who’s also trying

Warner Bros. Entertainment “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” features Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Pikachu, and Justice Smith as Tim Goodwin. The movie is set to premiere on May 10. to uncover the mystery of Harry Goodwin.

Lucy is accompanied by her Psyduck, who tends to get a headache almost frequently.

Although there are about 800 Pokémon, and many more to come thanks to the upcoming release of new games Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield coming later this year, not all Pokémon make an appearance in the movie. You will see familiar ones such as Bulbasaur, Ludicolo, Jigglypuff, Aipom, Growlithe, Eevee, and more.

The same ol’ humor you’ve grown to love as a young kid still exists in the movie. Ryan Reynolds, who voiced Pikachu in the movie

brought his comedy over, creating a character that resembles a character that keeps track of his steps on his smartwatch, drinking substantial amounts of coffee, and feeling cute and adorable. Reynolds, who also used motion-facial capture with Pikachu, did a great job differentiating between his prized superhero Deadpool, and the electric mouse Pokémon.

This movie could become the video game blockbuster, as past video gamebased movies were not able to successfully break the box office totals. Movies such as Warcraft, Tomb Raider, and Resident Evil

all had mixed reviews when it comes to accuracy between the games and the movies.

Whether you are a veteran fan, who has been there since the time Ash Ketchum met Pikachu for the first time in episode one of the anime series, or picking up a Pokémon game for the first time recently, this movie is easy to follow. In fact, this movie could rekindle the love for Pokémon once more for those who have been away for quite some time. Even young ones can enjoy it, just be wary of a few “scary scenes”.

Thankfully, if you are hoping for more live-action Pokémon movies, Legendary Entertainment, the studio that brought you Detective Pikachu, has future plans to create a “Pokémon Cinematic Universe” similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The studio, in an interview with internet magazine The Observer, says that they want to “cover all sides of the Pokémon world”, which includes giving all 800 Pokémon a chance to shine on the silver screen.

The movie will be in theatres everywhere Friday, May 10; rated PG. This is the first ever Pokémon movie that has earned a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (all 19 animated movies had earned at G rating).

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Rockets advance in NBA playoffs Frederick Barnes

fbarnes@hccegalitarian.com The Houston Rockets will advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Wednesday night April 24, the Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz 100-93.

During the first quarter James Harden could not find a rhythm. Harden started the game 1-of-11 and looked as though he was still on a shooting slump from the previous game. The Utah Jazz guarded Harden with an unorthodox style of defense that seemed to contribute to his lack luster offense.

Utah was literally playing behind Hardens back practically daring hem to take a lay-up.

Eight minutes into the third quarter, the Rockets up by 10 points however. P.J Tucker and Eric Gordan contributed much needed shots that help the Rockets control the tempo of the game.

Chris Paul penetrated the lanes consistently and provid-

ed back to back buckets with the game tied 80 apiece in the fourth quarter. Rockets player Clint Capela came up with a huge offensive rebound and put back lay-up, that sent the Rockets stadium into a frenzy.

Capela was also fouled on the play but missed both of his freethrows. With three minutes remaining in the game Utah Jazz player Jae Crowder hit a big time three- pointer that put the Jazz within one. James Harden got going and started taking advantage of the Jazz’s unorthodox defense by knocking down a much-needed floater shot.

With less than a minute remaining Harden stole the ball from Utah and got fouled on the play and was sent to the line.

Harden finished the game with 26 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Paul finished the game with 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

The Houston Rockets lost to The Golden State Warriors this past Saturday in a game that came down to the wire. Last

Sports

Jeff Chiu/AP Photo Houston Rockets guard James Harden, right, shoots against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson during the second half of Game 1 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series in Oakland, Calif., Sunday. year the Rockets went seven games against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors but lost 92 to 101 in game seven of that series.

Paul did not play last year due to injury, so it is very possible the Rockets could defeat the Warriors this time around, given the face that Paul is healthy now.

In 2018, Harden signed a 4 year/$117,964,846 contract ex-

tension with the Houston Rockets, with an annual average salary of $29,491,212. Paul has also signed a lucrative deal with the rockets which entails a fouryear 160-million-dollar deal to keep the future Hall of Famer in Houston. Paul and Harden seem to play well together, and both players are on a quest for their first NBA Championship Title. But the 7ft guard Kevin Durant and the Warriors stands

Astros pummel Twins

MINNEAPOLIS — Gerrit Cole allowed one hit in seven innings, and the Houston Astros backed him with three homers in an 11-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.

Cole (2-4) gave up his only hit in the sixth inning while the Astros broke out offensively to win a meeting of division leaders and snap the Twins’ four-game winning streak.

After losing 1-0 in the series opener, Houston added to its franchise record for April homers on Tuesday. George Springer, Jake Marisnick and Alex Bregman went deep, giving the Astros 43 for the month.

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in their way.

Hopefully the Rockets can develop a game plan to contain both Curry and Durant. If so, the Rockets could go deeper in the playoffs and bring a Championship Title back home to Houston. But Harden and coach Mike D’Antoni have complained about the refs lack of officiating and have compiled a list of infractions dating back to last season.

part of a four-run sixth. Marisnick hit a two-run shot to chase Michael Pineda (2-2), who allowed five runs on a seasonhigh nine hits in five-plus innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM Twins: Pineda was hit in the leg by a line drive off the bat of Michael Brantley in the fifth inning but stayed in the game. ... INF Miguel Sano (right heel laceration) went 0-for-1 with a walk Tuesday in his rehab assignment for Single-A Fort Myers.

Houston Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole throws against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday in Minneapolis.

PROSPECT SUSPENDED Astros minor leaguer J.J. Matijevic was suspended 50 games Tuesday after a second positive test for a drug of abuse.

Matijevic, a 2017 second-round pick, is batting .240 for Double-A Corpus Christi.

Devenski completed the three-hitter.

Kepler had two hits for the Twins, who have hit 50 home runs in their first 27 games.

Springer had an RBI double in the third and homered on the first pitch of the fifth.

Marisnick and Bregman homered as

UP NEXT LHP Martin Perez (3-0, 4.44 ERA) will start for the Twins against RHP Collin McHugh (3-2, 4.78) in the third game of the four-game series. The teams will conclude their season series on Thursday. All seven games are in a span of 11 days.

Jim Mone/AP Photo

Cole struck out 11 and walked three, including the first two batters of the game. It was his fourth game with double-figure strikeouts this season.

Max Kepler had the only hit off Cole, a double off the right-field wall with one out in the sixth.

Relievers Josh James and Chris

7 With 7 picks, Texans address areas of need Wednesday May 1, 2019

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Joshua Koch

AP Global Soccer Writer Texans second-year general manager Brian Gaine felt the team addressed several areas of need in the draft.

“That was one of the emphasis, we wanted to increase team speed, team size, team length, team strength,” Gaine said.

“We feel we were able to fortify those things through this draft weekend.”

In the first two rounds, it was evident the Texans wanted to improve the protection around Deshaun Watson, who was sacked a league-high 62 times last season. Houston drafted two offensive lineman in Tytus Howard (No. 23 overall) and Max Scharping (No. 55 overall) within its first three selections.

This is the first time the Texans have spent a first-round pick on an offensive lineman since taking Duane Brown in 2006 with the 26th overall pick.

It is also the first time Houston has taken two offensive linemen in the same draft since 2017 when it drafted Julien Davenport and Kyle Fuller.

Houston also invested in the secondary, drafting a pair of cornerbacks in 6-foot-2 Lonnie Johnson Jr. (54th overall) and 5-foot-11 Xavier Crawford (195th overall), who both bring some length.

“We’re very excited about this draft class,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “We really feel good about every single guy and their potential contribution to the roster and we’re excited to get started with them.”

The Texans will now fin-

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ish filling additional needs through undrafted free agency with rookie minicamp on the horizon.

WHO THEY GOT The Texans added yet another tight end to the room by drafting Kahale Warring (86th overall) in their final pick of the second round.

Warring adds another tight end to the roster. The 6-foot-5, 252-pound player didn’t play football until his final year of high school.

University of Texas defensive end Charles Omenihu (161st overall), the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2018, is the first defensive end taken by the Texans since 2017 and will now come in and learn from one of the best.

“I think I can learn from J.J. (Watt), especially,” Omenihu said. “Just because we play the same position. Just hand work, how to use my length a little bit better and with Jadeveon (Clowney) he’s played multiple positions with the Texans. Crazy enough I wore No. 7 because of him in high school, wore No. 90 because of him as well. A guy I just watched and I want to be just like him.”

SURPRISE MOVE With their final pick, the Texans took the “12th Man” from Texas A&M. Cullen Gillaspia (220th overall), who was originally a walk-on, wore No. 12 for the Aggies and this past season played fullback for the first time in his college career.

Gillaspia is a native of Houston, playing high school football at Katy Taylor, and attend-

Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP Houston Texans top draft pick Tytus Howard, left, talks to Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair following an introductory NFL football news conference Friday in Houston. Howard was an offensive lineman for Alabama State. ed the Texans local pro day.

Gillaspia becomes the first 12th man to get drafted.

“Going from a special teams guy to a first-year fullback hearing that call you hope for it, but you don’t necessarily expect it,” said Gillaspia, who was emotional when he received the call while at a family crawfish boil. “You prepare for the best and expect the worst. When I got that call in the seventh round, I couldn’t have been happier. Brian Gaine called me and made me a Texan and this is a dream come true.”

HOW THEY DID

The Texans had a plan entering the draft and seemed to have executed it.

Gaine, who didn’t have a first or second-round pick last year, didn’t change how he approached this year’s draft.

“Our whole goal for the draft was to honor the process,” Gaine said. “We had a very good balance of best available, mixed with the opportunity to meet team needs.”

WHAT’S NEXT? The Texans addressed a lot of needs in this draft. It looks as though Houston has added plenty of depth in the second-

ary and on the offensive line with the draft and free agency.

Houston could look to add some more wide receivers to help DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller and Keke Coutee. Also in the backfield some more help for Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman.

“We’re trying to do the best job possible to create the most competitive roster possible,” O’Brien said about approaching undrafted free agency.

“That’s when you have a good football team. When at every stage of the year you have a very competitive roster. That’s what we’re going to work to do.”

Dynamo shut out Crew, remain unbeaten at home Frederick Barnes

fbarnes@hccegalitarian.com The Houston Dynamo defeated Columbus Crew 2-0 Saturday night at the BBVA Compass Stadium. Anticipation for the game was very intense with fans showing full support wearing their orange Dynamo jerseys.

The Houston Dynamo (4-0 at home), wasted very little time scoring. Within the first three minutes the Houston Dynamo Mauro Manotas received a wide cross pass and connected with a heel flick that was just enough to score the goal.

The Dynamo continued to apply pressure, however, they played great defense at the other end of the field and Columbus seemed to have no answer. One Dynamo fan could be heard yelling at a Columbus player saying, “You should be moving faster than that if your team is behind.”

As time was dwindling down in the first half, Columbus swung the ball across mid field, but it was stolen by Dynamo forward Tomas Martinez. Martinez nearly scored another goal before

Frederick Barnes/The Egalitarian Dynamo player Tomas Martinez shaken up on the play falls down on the field. the end of the first half. At the beginning of the second half attempted shots but they were rejected by Dynamo goal keeper Joe Willis. The Dynamo received a free kick opportunity around the 52nd minute but were unable to capitalize.

But a couple of minutes later Manotas fired a shot at Columbus goal keeper Zack Steffen, who parried the shot that bounced to Dynamo player Martinez who scored the second goal for the

Dynamo. The game started to turn very physical and the Dynamo were playing like it was the playoffs.

Although it seemed the Dynamo were outshot by Columbus the Dynamo created the more dangerous chances throughout the night. The Crew are struggling to score goals. The Black and Gold ended their 10th match of the season with just eight goals scored, the worst record in the league for teams with

as many games played.

By comparison, The Houston Dynamo has scored 13 goals with seven games played. After the Dynamo game Columbus head coach Caleb Porter admitted he needed more offensive power and that he would start looking for solutions outside the roster; only if the new ownership group were willing to reach into their pockets and make a good impression. The Crew has never been a high-spending franchise according to the sports blog massivereport.com. The Houston Dynamo on the other hand have invested heavily on Mid-South and Central American talent to fill its offensive spots.

The Dynamo moved to Houston from San Jose in December 2005 and played their first season in Houston in 2006.

The club won consecutive MLS Cup Championships in 2006-2007 and the Lamar Hunt U.S open cup in 2018. Major League Soccer was officially formed in February 1995 as a Limited Liability Company. The MLS began with only ten teams one of which was Columbus Crew. Columbus Crew has been in the MLS nine years more than the Dynamo.

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Wednesday May 1, 2019

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Valderrama, Cruz added to Comipalooza lineup Ana Gonzalez

agonzalez@hccegalitarian.com The lineup for this year’s Comicpalooza is getting bigger with the addition of multi-talented actors Wilmer Valderrama and Wilson Cruz; both of which will be making their debut at the convention alongside headliners Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones and Grant Gustin from The Flash.

From “That 70’s Show, Valderrama shined on his role as Fez on the Emmy award-nominated series. His past work also includes NCIS, Minority Report, and children’s TV show Handy Manny.

Wilmer Valderrama

Wilson Cruz

He is currently the CEO of his own production company, WV Entertainment, bringing

projects such as The Hollywood Puppet Show, Charming, and MTV series Yo Momma.

Actor Wilson Cruz is better known for his recurring role of Dennis Vasquez on the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why”, and Dr. Hugh Culber on “Star Trek: Discovery”. Before that, he won the hearts of his audience playing as Ricky on the hit TV show My So-Called Life, which was also the first openly gay teenager role to air on primetime television.

Cruz also won awards in theatre, winning both the Pulizer Prime and a Tony award for his acting on the award-winning musical Rent.

Both actors will appear on Saturday, May 11, and Sunday, May 12. Photo-ops and autographs are on sale now.

Comicpalooza to host first-ever Collegiate ESports Championship Ana Gonzalez

agonzalez@hccegalitarian.com The esports community is about to get even bigger during this year’s Comicpalooza.

ESPN will be coming to Houston to host its first annual Collegiate Esports Championship during the convention weekend.

The CEC will be hosted by Twitch streamer Alex Mendez, also known as “Golden Boy”, and Twitch lead producer Anna Prosser. The teams who make it to the finals will compete for prizes in the form of scholarships.

Sponsored by Tespa and Collegiate StarLeague (CSL), hundreds of schools from across North America have competed in several qualifying rounds, playing favorites such as Overwatch, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition,

Hearthstone, Starcraft II, and Heroes of the Storm.

“We are excited to launch this event with an outstanding lineup of games in a worldclass city like Houston,” said

Clint Overby, vice president of ESPN Events, “The esports landscape is a growing and dynamic space, and will fit nicely into our lineup of ESPN-owned events.”

Comicpalooza attendees are welcome to watch the finals. Those with the Gaming Speed Pass receive additional perks such as priority seating at the Collegiate Esports Championship, meet & greet with CEC talent, and access to a private lounge.

“We are honored ESPN has chosen Houston and Comicpalooza for their inaugural Collegiate Esports Championship,” said Michael Heckman, Comicpalooza President and Senior Vice President at Houston First. “Each year we strive to provide unique experiences for our different pop culture fandoms.”

The CEC will be streamed globally on twitch.tv/ESPNEsports.

For more information on the Collegiate Esports Championship can be found at www.espnevents.com.

Swole among new words in Merriam-Webster dictionary Mark Pratt

Associated Press BOSTON — Get swole, prepare a bug-out bag, grab a go-cup and maybe you’ll have a better chance of surviving the omnicide.

Translation: Hit the gym and bulk up, put a bunch of stuff essential for survival in an easyto-carry bag, grab a drink for the road, and perhaps you’ll live through a man-made disaster that could wipe out the human

race.

Swole , bug-out bag , go-cup and omnicide are just a few of the 640 additions to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary added Monday.

Deciding what gets included is a painstaking process involving the Springfield, Massachusetts-based company’s roughly two dozen lexicographers, said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large.

They scan online versions of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, books and even

movie and television scripts until they detect what he calls “a critical mass” of usage that warrants inclusion.

The words are added to the online dictionary first, before some are later added to print updates of the company’s popular Collegiate Dictionary, which according to company spokeswoman Meghan Lunghi, has sold more than 50 million copies since 1898, making it the “best-selling hardcover book after the Bible.”

“So many people use our web-

site as their principal dictionary and we want it to be current,” Sokolowski said. “We want to be as useful as possible.”

The latest additions include mostly new words, or phrases, but also some old words with new meanings or applications.

Take unplug and snowflake, for example. Unplug means to literally tug an electric plug from a wall socket, but now, it also has a more metaphorical meaning, as in to disconnect from social media, he said.

Comicpalooza 2019 Schedule Friday, May 10

3:30 p.m.

My Hero Academia Cast Panel Ballroom C Brittney Karbowski, Josh Grelle, Jaime Marchi, Monica Rial, J Michael Tatum, Alexis Tipton 5:00 p.m.

Billy Zane Panel Ballroom C

6:30 p.m.

The Tick Cast Ballroom C Brendan Hines, Yara Martinez, Griffin Newman, Peter Serafinowicz, Scott Speiser Saturday, May 11 11:00 am Game of Thrones Interview General Assembly, 3rd Floor Note: there will be an overflow room, located in Room 330 Emilia Clarke, Nathalie Emmanuel 1:30 pm Animaniacs Cast Q&A Ballroom C Jess Harnell, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, Rob Paulsen

Wilmer Valderrama Panel General Assembly, 3rd Floor 3:00 pm Flash Cast Panel General Assembly, 3rd Floor Grant Gustin 4:30 pm An Afternoon with John Barrowman General Assembly, 3rd Floor Sailor Moon Q&A 360 BCEF Linda Ballantyne, Katie Griffin Team Bestie Q&A Ballroom C Amy “Lita” Dumas, Trish Stratus Sunday, May 12 10:35 p.m.

Erick Avari Q&A Ballroom C

12:00 p.m.

Star Trek: From The Next Generation to Discovery Ballroom C Michael Dorn, Wilson Cruz, Gates McFadden 1:30 pm LOST Cast Panel Ballroom C Jeremy Davies, Andrew Divoff, Mira Furlan