The October 24, 2018 issue of The Egalitarian

Campus

Tournament winner Page 2

Community

Sears Closures Page 3

Sports

Dynamo win cup Page 10

Wednesday, October 24, 2018 • Vol. 47, No. 3 • HCCEgalitarian.com

Hondurans flee by 1000’s See Page 3

4th annual HCC Speech Tournament Ana Gonzalez

agonzalez@hccegalitarian.com

Competitors were in good spirits on the morning of October 20th at Houston Community College Eastside Campus, as the 4th Annual Speech Tournament went underway.

A total of 19 competitors participated in the tournament.

Danielle Stagg, HCC Interim Chair of Speech and Communication and Speech Professor Paralee Shivers organized the event.

The 19 competitors had to

create a three to five minute speech on one of the topics that span from the importance of voting, to hunger and the importance of food programs, as well as Hurricane Harvey and the effect on student success. They were judged by a set of 10 judges that range from HCC professors to community members and pastors.

The majority of the tournament contestants were part of a speech class, such as Shivers’ SPCH 1315, and Professor Angela Anderson’s SPCH 1311.

HCC Speech Professor

James Duvall, and former HCC Student, now Alief ISD teacher Idee Tezeyombi were the emcees of the tournament. Both educators provided some form of comedy and entertainment while judges were scoring the contestants.

HCC Eastside Communications Director Felipe Reyes, as well as Dr. Stephen Levey, associate vice chancellor for academic instruction educational development wished the contestants the best of luck. Both of them said that they are all winners and they appreciate

their hard work and their effort.

Student Aiden Wernig was the first to start off the tournament. His speech was about the importance of voting, emphasizing the upcoming midterm elections this coming November.

“There is a war on your right to vote, and I would like to give you the ammunition to fight,” he said. He also tackled the rise in voter suppression and fraud in several states across the country.

Another student empha-

The official student newspaper of the Houston Community College System

sized the importance of volunteering, which was one of the other topics contestants could use for their speech. Hospitality management student Vinh Le used his company, Volunteer for Tourism Vietnam, to showcase facts that students should at least try to volunteer for an activity.

Le is a freshman, and an international student from Vietnam. He says that volunteering helped him to learn and

see Speech, Page 6

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Wednesday OctOber 24, 2018

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Speech winner calls hunger, “Mass destruction” Ana Gonzalez

agonzalez@hccegalitarian.com

Houston Community College student Dorothy Jenkins was crowned the winner of the fourth annual HCC Speech Tournament held at the Eastside campus on the morning of October 20th.

Jenkins won a $500 scholarship towards her education, and she plans to use that money towards her goals. Her major is speech communication.

When her name was announced during the awards phase of the tournament. Jenkins could not contain the tears of joy when she was walking down the aisle, escorted by her granddaughter. The audience gave them both a standing ovation.

“I’m very excited, and feel incredibly blessed” she said, with happiness. “I don’t even know what to say, I’m just glad that I did it.

A transfer student from Lone Star Community College, Jenkins says that she almost did not sign up for the tournament, despite only to find out about it last Thursday. She was very close to skipping it altogether due to having eye surgery on the night before the tournament. Although she could not see on the day of the tournament, her sight did not held her back from participating.

This is her first semester at Houston Community College. Jenkins explained that her transition from Lone Star was smooth.

She is also excited of the opportunities she was given during her time at HCC. She made her speech about hunger, and the food programs being an effective strategy for it. To Jenkins, it’s a personal issue that also affects many students all around, and she is not the only one who deals with it.

“Boom.” She started off her speech

Ana Gonzalez / HCC Egalitarian Dorothy Jenkins, first place winner of the 4th Annual Speech Tournament gets her victory picture taken alongside her granddaughter and several HCC professors and administrators, including Interim Chair of Speech & Communication Danielle Stagg. with hunger resembling an atomic bomb.

“Hunger is a mass destruction. Think about it when you eat today.” She emphasized, “We can’t keep throwing food away.

If you educate me [on hunger], I will grow a garden.”

When asked about what inspired her to make a speech on hunger, Jenkins says that hunger has been her enemy for the past four years.

“I have been hungry before. I stayed in

those food bank lines and a lot of times the food they gave us is either old food or expired food,” she explained. “I am the face of hunger.”

Jenkins only needs two more classes to complete her Associate’s Degree. She plans to transfer to the University of Houston to finish off her Bachelor’s Degree. Her goal is to work with children with autism.

“I want to help other children who are misunderstood.”

HCC POLICE BLOTTER (Incidents complied from HCC Crime Log Offense: Interference with Public Duties Reported on: 10/10/2018 at 11:35am Incident occurred on: 10/10/2018 at 11:30am Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: Fine Arts Center Description: Student was charged after he created a disturbance in class and resisted arrest.

Disposition: Closed Offense: Criminal Mischief Reported on: 10/10/2018 at 10:30am Incident occurred on: 10/10/2018 at 9:25am10:30am Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: Parking Lot 9 Description: Student’s vehicle was damaged by an

unknown sharp object.

Disposition: Open Offense: Assault Reported on: 10/10/2018 at 9:26am Incident occurred on: 10/10/2018 at 9:15am Location: West Loop Campus Building: 5601 West Loop South Description: Three women reported an unidentified black male suspect, tall, wearing a white shirt and gray shorts [More...]

Disposition: Open Offense: Criminal Mischief Reported on: 10/9/2018 at 11:50am Incident occurred on: 10/9/2018 at 9:00am11:50am Location: Central - Midtown

Campus Building: Educational Development Center Description: Employee’s vehicle was damaged by an unknown suspect who tried to defeat a door lock.

Disposition: Open Offense: Theft Reported on: 10/8/2018 at 9:40am Incident occurred on: 10/8/2018 at 9:30am Location: Central - Midtown Campus Building: San Jacinto Memorial Description: Student’s boyfriend took her car keys and fled.

Disposition: Open Offense: Theft Reported on: 10/4/2018 at 11:30am

Incident occurred on: 10/4/2018 at 11:20am Location: Spring Branch Campus Building: Spring Branch Building Description: Student’s unattended cell phone was stolen from the student lounge.

Disposition: Open Offense: Credit Card or Debit Card Abuse Reported on: 10/3/2018 at 11:30am Incident occurred on: 9/29/2018 at 8:00am1:30pm Location: Northline Campus Building: 8001 Fulton Description: Student’s debit card was stolen and used without her consent.

Disposition: Open

sPeeCH, From Page 1 become proficient in English.

The more tourists he guided around Vietnam, the more confidence he gained for his English.

“I knew that there were a lot of English-speaking tourists [in Vietnam], and they needed a local guide [to take them around the areas]” he said. “I became a go-to guide, I took the tourists around different destinations, and [give recommendations] to certain places.”

Communications major and veteran Lamar Jackson (not to be confused with the Baltimore Ravens quarterback), also did a speech on the importance of voting, but focused more on minority voting. He plans to transfer to Texas Southern University to complete his degree, and would like to go to law school afterwards.

“It is imperative that we vote, we are smarter than that”, he said, referring to Texas’ low voting turnout in past elections. He also claimed that more college graduates are voting in recent elections than those with a high school diploma.

Entertainment was provided after the contestants competed. The children of Turning Hearts Music Ensemble, by the direction of Carolyn Davis from New Beginning Church, provided a wonderful concert towards the end of the tournament. Instruments ranged from xylophone, to rain sticks, to steel drums. The room was filled with a vibe that reminded people of sunshine.

Afterwards, the results were in.

Fifth place went to Anushka Mandot, who did her speech on the importance of college education. Fourth place was Talhatou Dialo, who focused on student volunteering. Both students received a trophy for their outstanding effort.

Third place went to Vinh Le. His volunteerism speech won him a $100 scholarship towards his education.

Second place ended up as a tie. It was at first that student Karim Alhakim, who did a speech on the importance of college, would have won the second place title, but due to a scoring error, the judges meant to give the title to Lamar Jackson, who spoke about minorities who vote. A “Steve Harvey” moment turned for the better as the judges took an extra minute to decide to award the $200 scholarship prize to both contestants.

First place was awarded to Dorothy Jenkins. She was the only contestant who presented a speech on hunger. She won a $500 scholarship.

All contestants got a certificate for their participation, as well as a commemorative t-shirt.

3 Community $1,619,000,000.00 Jackpot frenzy Wednesday October 24, 2018

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Michael Laughlin Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — With the Mega Millions lottery jackpot at a record $1.6 billion, people are snapping up tickets across the U.S. The Powerball jackpot also has climbed. It’s up to an estimated $620 million for Wednesday’s drawing. That would make it the fifth-largest jackpot in U.S. history.

But much of the focus has been on Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing and what would be the largest jackpot prize in U.S. history.

From San Diego to New York, people are dreaming of how they would spend the money should they beat the astronomical odds of winning. ___ Little Rock, Arkansas, housekeeper LaCrystal White initially said her first order of business would be to pay off bills and student loans, then buy herself a house and car. But the 34-year-old quickly reconsidered.

“Well, first I’m going to give something back to charity. That’s what I’m going to do,” White said. “I am. I’m going to give back to charity and then I’m going to splurge. Put up college funds for my kids and just set myself up for the rest of my life.”

Then she told everyone who was at the gas station where she bought two Mega Millions tickets on Sunday that she would give them $1 million each if she won. She went on to add that she planned to buy more tickets later.

Arkansas is one of 44 states where the Mega Millions is played. It’s also played in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ___ Nathan Harrell was in downtown Chicago for work Saturday when he stopped in at a 7-Eleven and handed the clerk two $20 bills — one for 10 Powerball tickets at $2 each and the other for 10 Mega Millions at $2 each. It’s been a few years since he’s spent anything on the lottery.

“It’s gotta be in the news for me to think about it,” the 36-year-old, who works in finance and lives on the city’s North Side, said.

Michael Laughlin / AP Photo In this Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 photo, drivers on the Broken Arrow Expressway pass a sign with the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot numbers as they drive toward downtown Tulsa, Okla., He said he and his wife have talked over the years about what they’d do if they won, and she said she’d keep working. “So she probably wouldn’t want me to quit my job,” he said.

Harrell said that as he rode the train to work, he had thought about what else he would do. He figures he’d set up a trust fund for his two children.

“We wouldn’t sweat the small stuff anymore,” he said. “Nothing crazy, but who knows.” ___ In Phoenix, Tim Masterson, a 41-yearold scientist, ran into Kings Beer & Wine, an upscale convenience store and beer bar, to buy seven Mega Millions tickets while his family waited in the car outside.

Masterson paused when asked what he’d do with the money if he won. After looking at the wide variety of beers and ales on the shelves, he said: “I’d buy a brewery.” ___ Nebraska mom Michelle Connaghan said she had mentioned the huge Mega Millions jackpot to her children, which

led to a discussion of what the family would do with all that money.

“Other than paying off bills and taking care of family, I think I’d have the most fun going around and doing surprise good deeds for people,” said Connaghan, 48, as she picked up pizza for her family and a Mega Millions lottery ticket at an Omaha convenience store. “I think that would be wonderful, to have the ability to help somebody who really needs it.

“And I’m sure we’d take some pretty awesome vacations while we were going around doing our surprise good deeds.” ___ In New York City’s financial district, Juan Ramirez, 69, said he would retire from at least one of his jobs. He works as a school maintenance worker and short order cook.

“I’d spend it carefully. I’d be prepared before I cash in, go see a financial adviser,” he said, saying he would invest the money.

“I’ve got two jobs. I’d retire from one, maybe two. When I win the billion dollars, I will decide which one to quit.

“I would donate some money to charity, think about the homeless, people with less than me. I would help somebody.” ___ Guillermo Carrillo, 42, of San Diego, works as a roofer and as a dishwasher at a restaurant.

Carrillo, who was buying tickets in suburban National City, dreams of buying a house for his mother in his native Guatemala. Then he would give money to each of his five sisters — also in Guatemala — to spend however they like. His five brothers would get nothing, he said.

For himself, he would buy a house in the San Diego area and replace his old pickup with a new one in his preferred color, red. He would also travel. Tops on his list are Paris, Spain, the ruins in Machu Pichu, Peru, and, of course, Guatemala.

“It’s a lot of money and I hope we win,” he said. ___ Dan Higgins isn’t typically a lottery player, but he decided to give it a try as he grabbed a coffee at a 7-Eleven in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston on Sunday.

“When it gets over a billion dollars it becomes compelling, so for $2 to potentially get $1.6 billion, that would be a pretty nice return on that investment,” said Higgins, 51, who lives in nearby Brookline.

First on his agenda, should he win: putting in his two weeks’ notice at his sales job. Other than that, he says he would take care of the education of his two kids, who will be entering college soon.

“That’s obviously an awful lot of money, so I would really just help out my family in any way I could and probably buy a big house on the ocean somewhere.” ___ At an Exxon store in Nashville, Tennessee, clerk Quin Newsom said nearly everyone who comes in is buying a Mega Millions ticket — including herself.

Asked what she would do if she won, the 22-year-old said, “I would split it with my co-workers. We’re going to retire from here. And then I’d go to the Bahamas.”

Beyond that: “I would invest in something, to keep the money rolling in. ...

You gotta think with it.”

Retailocolypse claims Sears Sarah Al-Shaikh

sal-haikh@hccegalitarian.com

Yet another once successful retail giant bites the dust.

Sears, the retail chain that once took America by storm, has filed for bankruptcy. Sears joins the growing list of retail chains closing their doors like Toys “R” Us, RadioShack, and Sports Authority.

After being in business for 132 years, Sears’ debt was just too much to bear for the company. This is not a total surprise, as Sears has been struggling for several years.

The piece that ultimately led to the bankruptcy was their $134 million debt payment due last Monday which the company could not afford to pay.

However, Sears’ bankruptcy does not necessarily mean a complete end to the retail chain’s stores. In a company-issued statement, Sears Holdings (SHLD) described

hoping to stay in business with its profitable stores, along with Sears and Kmart websites.

Since filing for bankruptcy, 700 stores remain open and 68,000 workers remain employed. This is compared to the previous 1,000 stores and 89,000 employees the company had as of February.

Weighing all their options, Sears has also expressed interest in a buyer for a large portion of their remaining stores. From the 700 stores remaining, 142 of those are set to close near the end of this year; along with 46 planned store closings for this upcoming November.

Previous chairman and largest shareholder for Sears Holdings, Eddie Lampert, made a statement on Monday that, “while we have made progress, the plan has yet to deliver the results we have desired.” The bankruptcy decision was a step towards Sears

getting back on the profitable path. Lampert believes the bankruptcy will help the company drop their debt and “become a profitable and more competitive retailer.”

This upcoming holiday season will be telling for Sears’ future as a retail chain.

Typically this time of year is quite profitable for retailers, however, both Sears and Kmart reported drops in their profits from previous years.

Despite their dreary sales, Sears remains hopeful about their success post-bankruptcy. However, history shows filing for bankruptcy typically leads to the complete ending of a business and not the catalyst for a sudden boom in business.

The question a lot are asking is how Sears went from America’s largest retailer to another victim of the retail apocalypse. Looking back, Sears once was the innovative retailer of its time.

Charles Brown / AP Photo One of hundreds of Sears stores closing across the country.

Americans from rural farms to urban cities would anticipate their Sears catalogs and gravitated into malls rather than street merchants. Their Sears catalog introduced Americans to the concept of

buying mass-produced goods and ultimately changed how people bought. However, Sears did not stand a chance against retail powerhouses like Walmart and Home Depot.

News 4 7,200 make 1,442 mile trek to safety by foot Wednesday October 24, 2018

Mark Stevenson Associated Press

TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Thousands of Central American migrants resumed an arduous trek toward the U.S. border Monday, with many bristling at suggestions there could be terrorists among them and saying the caravan is being used for political ends by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The caravan’s numbers have continued to grow as they walk and hitch rides through hot and humid weather, and the United Nations estimated that it currently comprises some 7,200 people, “many of whom intend to continue the march north.”

However, they were still at least 1,140 miles (1,830 kilometers) from the nearest border crossing — McAllen, Texas — and the length of their journey could more than double if they go to Tijuana-San Diego, the destination of another caravan earlier this year. That one shrank significantly as it moved through Mexico, and only a tiny fraction — about 200 of the 1,200 in the group — reached the California border.

The same could well happen this time around as some turn back, splinter off on their own or decide to take their chances on asylum in Mexico — as 1,128 have done so far, according to the country’s Interior Department.

While such caravans have occurred semi-regularly over the years, this one has become a particularly hot topic ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections in the U.S., and an immigrant rights activist traveling with the group accused Trump of using it to stir up his Republican base.

“It is a shame that a president so powerful uses this caravan for political ends,” said Irineo Mujica of the group Pueblo Sin Fronteras — People Without Borders — which works to provide humanitarian aid to migrants.

Some have questioned the timing so close to the vote and whether some political force was behind it, though by all appearances it began as a group of about 160 who decided to band together in Honduras for protection and snowballed as they moved north.

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“No one is capable of organizing this many people,” Mujica said, adding that there are only two forces driving them: “hunger and death.”

Earlier in the day Trump renewed threats against Central American governments and blasted Democrats via Twitter for what he called “pathetic” immigration laws.

In another tweet, he blamed Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador for not stopping people from leaving their countries. “We will now begin cutting off, or substantially reducing, the massive foreign aid routinely given to them,” he wrote.

A team of AP journalists traveling with the caravan for more than a week has spoken with Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans, but has not met any Middle Easterners, who Trump suggested were “mixed in” with the Central American migrants.

It was clear, though, that more migrants were continuing to join the caravan.

Ana Luisa Espana, a laundry worker from Chiquimula, Guatemala, joined the caravan as she saw it pass through her country.

Even though the goal is to reach the U.S. border, she said: “We only want to work and if a job turns up in Mexico, I would do it. We would do anything, except bad things.”

Denis Omar Contreras, a Honduran-born caravan leader also with Pueblo Sin Fronteras, said accusations that the caravan is harboring terrorists should stop.

“There isn’t a single terrorist here,” Contreras said. “We are all people from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. And as far as I know there are no terrorists in these four countries, at least beyond the corrupt governments.”

The migrants, many of them with blistered and bandaged feet, left the southern city of Tapachula in the early afternoon Monday under a burning sun bound for Huixtla, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away.

In interviews along the journey, migrants have said they are fleeing widespread violence, poverty and corruption.

The caravan is unlike previous mass migrations for its unprecedented large numbers and

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Moises Castillo / AP Photo Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. sleep in a public plaza in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Keeping together for strength and safety in numbers, some huddled under a metal roof in the city’s main plaza Sunday night. Others lay exhausted in the open air, with only thin sheets of plastic to protect them from ground soggy from an intense Sunday evening shower. because it largely sprang up spontaneously through word of mouth.

Carlos Leonidas Garcia Urbina, a 28-year-old from Tocoa, Honduras, said he was cutting the grass in his father’s yard when he heard about the caravan, dropped the shears on the ground and ran to join with just 500 lempiras ($20) in his pocket.

“We are going to the promised land,” Garcia said, motioning to his fellow travelers.

Motorists in pickups and other vehicles have been offering the migrants rides, often in overloaded truck beds, and a male migrant fell from the back of one Monday and died.

“It is the responsibility of the driver, but it is very dangerous, and there you have the consequences,” Mexican federal police officer Miguel Angel Dominguez said, pointing to a puddle of blood around the man’s head.

Police started stopping crowded trucks and forcing people to get off.

Caravan leaders have not defined the precise route or decided where on the U.S. border they want to arrive, but in recent years most Central American migrants traveling on their own have opted for the most direct route, which takes

them to Reynosa, across from McAllen.

Late Sunday, authorities in Guatemala said another group of about 1,000 migrants had entered that country from Honduras.

Red Cross official Ulises Garcia said some injured people refused to be taken to clinics or hospitals.

“We have had people who have ankle or shoulder injuries, from falls during the trip, and even though we have offered to take them somewhere where they can get better care, they have refused, because they fear they’ll be detained and deported,” Garcia said.

Roberto Lorenzana, a spokesman for El Salvador’s presidency, said his government hopes tensions over the caravan decrease after the U.S. elections.

“We have confidence in the maturity of United States authorities to continue strengthening a positive relationship with our country,” Lorenzana said.

Asked if he thinks Trump will follow through on his threat to cut aid to El Salvador, he said, “I don’t know. Of course the president has a lot of power, but they will have to explain it there to the different government structures.”

Lorenzana added that El Salvador has significantly reduced violence, a key driver of migration, and that the flow of Salvadoran migrants has dropped 60 percent in two years.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said large numbers of migrants were still arriving in Mexico and were “likely to remain in the country for an extended period.”

The first waves of migrants began arriving in the southern town of Huixtla after an exhausting eight-hour trek and quickly staked out grassy spots in the town square to bed down overnight.

Marlon Anibal Castellanos, a 27-year-old former bus driver from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, roped a bit of plastic tarp to a tree to shelter his wife, 6-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter.

Castellanos said the family walked for six hours until they could go no farther. They saw the dead man who fell from the truck, and the danger of being on the road was troublesome, out in the middle of the countryside far from an ambulance or medical care should the kids to pass out in the heat.

“It’s hard to travel with children, Castellanos said.”

Houston host Republican campaign rally President Donald Trump escalated his immigration rhetoric at a midterm rally in Texas, falsely accusing Democrats of “encouraging millions of illegal aliens to break our laws, violate our borders and overwhelm our nation.”

With weeks to go before Election Day, Trump is seeking to drive Republican turnout with his hard-line immigration policies. He cast the November choice in stark terms before the Houston rally for Republican Sen. Ted Eric Gay / AP Photo Cruz on Monday night, saying Democrats “have launched an assault on the President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, sovereignty of our country.”

Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in Houston.

Trump spoke before a massive

crowd on behalf of his former foe, who faces a strong challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke. When the two competed in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Trump would frequently deride his rival as “Lyin’ Ted” but said in Texas that their relationship had come a long way.

“Nobody has helped me more with your tax cut, with your regulation,” Trump said, also attacking O’Rourke, as a “stone-cold phony.”

With the midterms drawing near, Trump has emphasized immigration, targeting a migrant caravan heading to the U.S. southern border. The president’s focus on immigration politics

comes as he seeks to counter Democratic enthusiasm in November.

Trump believes that his campaign pledges, including his much vaunted — and still-unfulfilled — promise to quickly build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, are still rallying cries.

Trump is betting that his latest focus will further erode the enthusiasm gap that began to close during the debate over Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. But the approach offers both risks and rewards.

see Rally, Page 4

Wednesday October 24, 2018

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5

Cover-up in Turkey aided by body double Matthew Lee

AP National Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing global outrage over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi officials are now acknowledging that the journalist was targeted inside the kingdom’s consulate in Turkey and a body double was on hand to aid in a cover-up — the latest twist in the kingdom’s evolving efforts to explain Khashoggi’s death.

This new version of events — which was described to The Associated Press by two Saudi officials — comes three weeks after the kingdom said Khashoggi left the consulate on his own and insisted Turkish claims he was killed by an assassination squad were unfounded.

Now Saudi officials tell the AP they did in fact send a team to Turkey that included a forensics expert and a member whose job was to dress in the 59-year-old writer’s clothes and pretend to be him — though they still insist that his death was an accident.

This account attempts to distance Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from the killing, even though officials linked to the 33-year-old ruler have been implicated. But the fact that the Saudis are acknowledging some aspects of the account provided by Turkish authorities suggests that the kingdom is feeling intense global pressure, including from President Donald Trump and members of Congress, some of whom have called for cutting off arms shipments and imposing sanctions.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter and the ongoing investigation into Khashoggi’s death.

There was no way to corroborate the Saudi account, which paints the suspects as rogue operators. It also contradicts many observers who believe the complex scheme that led to Khashoggi’s death could not have occurred without the knowledge of Crown Prince Mohammed, who essentially runs the kingdom.

“It would have likely had the approval of the Saudi government,” said Robert Jordan, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia during President George W. Bush’s administration.

Pro-government media in Turkey have reported that a Saudi hit squad

rally, From Page 4 President Donald Trump escalated his immigration rhetoric at a midterm rally in Texas, falsely accusing Democrats of “encouraging millions of illegal aliens to break our laws, violate our borders and overwhelm our nation.”

With weeks to go before Election Day, Trump is seeking to drive Republican turnout with his hard-line immigration policies.

He cast the November choice in stark terms before the Houston rally for Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday night, saying Democrats “have launched an assault on the sovereignty of our country.”

Trump spoke before a massive crowd on behalf of his former foe, who faces a strong challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke. When the two competed in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Trump would frequent-

of 15 people traveled to Turkey to kill Khashoggi, who wrote columns critical of Mohammed’s rule while living in self-imposed exile in the U.S. The team left the country hours later in private jets, Turkish media reports said.

Khashoggi was in Turkey for a scheduled visit to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage to a Turkish woman.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Tuesday for the 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia by authorities there to be tried in Turkish courts and rejected the idea that the men acted on their own. “To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community,” Erdogan said in a speech to ruling party lawmakers in parliament.

The Saudi officials who spoke to the AP acknowledged that the kingdom sent a team to Turkey, but said the men were acting on a directive issued by King Salman’s predecessor, King Abdullah, to bring Saudi dissidents abroad back to the kingdom — ostensibly to take part in a “national dialogue” over the country’s future.

They acknowledged the plan allowed for removing Khashoggi from the consulate and questioning him at a “safe house.”

Asked why such a team would include a forensics expert and a body double, the Saudi officials said had the safe house option been used, the plan was for the forensic expert to wipe clean evidence that Khashoggi had been at the consulate and for the body double to leave the facility to give the false impression that Khashoggi had left on his own.

Instead, the two officials said, the operation with Khashoggi turned violent.

They said that the team included a former Khashoggi colleague who advised him to return to the kingdom. When that failed, the writer, by their account, asked if he was going to be kidnapped.

Told he was going to be taken to a safe house, they say he started to yell for help.

That’s when an unidentified person on the team applied a chokehold, which the officials said was intended only to keep Khashoggi quiet but ended up killing him instead.

The officials said the nine members of the 15-strong team who were inside the consulate at the time then panicked and

ly deride his rival as “Lyin’ Ted” but said in Texas that their relationship had come a long way.

“Nobody has helped me more with your tax cut, with your regulation,” Trump said, also attacking O’Rourke, as a “stone-cold phony.”

With the midterms drawing near, Trump has emphasized immigration, targeting a migrant caravan heading to the U.S. southern border. The president’s focus on immigration politics comes as he seeks to counter Democratic enthusiasm in November. Trump believes that his campaign pledges, including his much vaunted — and still-unfulfilled — promise to quickly build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, are still rallying cries.

Trump is betting that his latest focus will further erode the enthusiasm gap that began to close during the debate over Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. But the approach offers both risks and re-

David J. Phillip/AP Photo Deric Brown, center, walks his twins, Kaydence, left, and Avery, right, to their first day of school at Codwell Elementary Monday in Houston. Students in Houston are finally starting their new school year following a two-week delay because of damage from Harvey. made plans with a local Turkish “collaborator” to remove the body. One official said the body was rolled up in some sort of material and taken from the consulate by the collaborator.

Neither official could account for Turkish claims that Khashoggi’s body was dismembered with a bone saw inside the building.

Khashoggi vanished on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate. His fiancee, who was waiting outside the building for him, alerted authorities when he failed to come out.

At first, Saudi officials said he had left the building and they did not know his whereabouts.

Authorities in Turkey then began releasing details through the media there, showing surveillance photos of members of the team entering the country, including one member of the crown prince’s entourage, and sources presenting increasingly grisly accounts of the killing. On Monday, media outlets broadcast images of a body double strolling outside the consulate in Khashoggi’s clothes, a detail confirmed by Erdogan.

The Saudi officials said their initial

wards.

The hard-line rhetoric may be popular among the red-state rural Republicans who will play an outsized role in the top Senate contests. But it may further alienate the moderate Republicans and women in the overwhelmingly suburban races that will decide the House majority — including several in Texas, California and Florida that feature large Hispanic populations.

On Monday night, Trump called the caravan an “assault on our country” and suggested, without citing evidence, that “Democrats had something to do with it.” He added: “We need a wall built fast.”

Earlier Monday, Trump said the U.S. will begin “cutting off, or substantially reducing” aid to three Central American nations because of the caravan.

In Texas, an enthusiastic crowd packed into Houston’s Toyota Center, wearing red Make America Great Again hats and

response to Khashoggi’s disappearance was based on a false report filed by the team sent to Istanbul, which maintained he had left the consulate after refusing to agree to return home.

After the Turks challenged that account and it became clear Khashoggi had not left the consulate, Saudi officials remained almost entirely silent on the matter.

It wasn’t until Oct. 20 that Saudi Arabia acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, claiming he died as the result of a “fistfight,” a claim that drew immediate skepticism from the kingdom’s Western allies.

On Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Fox News that Khashoggi’s killing was “a rogue operation,” echoing Trump, who suggested on Oct. 15 that “rogue killers” could be responsible.

“The individuals who did this did this outside the scope of their authority,” alJubeir said in the interview. “There obviously was a tremendous mistake made and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up. That is unacceptable to the government.”

waving signs, including some with the president’s new catchphrase, “Jobs vs. Mobs.”

Speaking before Trump took the stage, Cruz made clear that their conflict was behind them and that the two were working together. His biggest applause came when he predicted that “in 2020, Donald Trump will be overwhelmingly re-elected.”

A series of elected state officials were among the warmup speakers, as well as Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump and son Eric Trump, who told the audience that “we are driving the Democrats absolutely nuts.”

Trump gleefully used his latest attack line against Democrats, saying, “Democrats produce mobs, Republicans produce jobs.” He declared Democrats would be a “big risk to the American family,” and went after some of his favorite targets, including Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Rep. Maxine Waters, New Jersey

Sen. Cory Booker and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

The president stressed tax cuts, the strong economy and the hurricane response in the state.

He repeated his pledge for a new middle-income tax cut of about 10 percent, though he offered few details on the plan. Trump said they would be “putting it in” next week, though Congress is not in session.

Trump also criticized so-called globalists, declaring, “You know what I am? I’m a nationalist.”

Trump’s Texas stop is part of a campaign blitz that is expected to last until Election Day. Although political relationships tend to be fluid, Trump’s appearance for Cruz is notable, given that the two were bitter enemies during the 2016 primaries.

After Trump insulted Cruz’s wife and father, and Cruz refused to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention, it was far from clear that the two would ever put it all behind them.

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Wednesday October 24, 2018

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All art is part of the Level 2 art student artwork that is showing now at the Spring Branch campus until October 25th.

Above : “Adam’s Apple” acrylic on canvas by Aroh Gazarte Left : “Project II” charcoal on paper by David Zatopek Below : “self portrait” acrylic on canvas by Jessica Arone Wosiack

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Wednesday October 24, 2018

The Egalitarian

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Wednesday October 24, 2018

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Culture

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Scary money Lindsey Bahr

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Forty years after he first appeared in theaters, Michael Myers is still drawing huge audiences for a good scare.

Universal Pictures said Sunday that “Halloween” took in an estimated $77.5 million in ticket sales from North American theaters.

It captured first place at the box office with the secondhighest horror opening of all time, behind last year’s “It.” It also marked the second highest October opening ever behind “Venom’s” $80.3 million launch earlier this month.

The studio also says it’s the biggest movie opening ever with a female lead over 55, in star Jamie Lee Curtis.

David Gordon Green directed “Halloween,” which brings back Curtis as Laurie Strode and Nick Castle as Michael Myers and essentially ignores the events of the other sequels and spinoffs aside from John Carpenter’s original.

Reviews have been largely positive for the new installment, with an 80 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ Cinema Score from audiences that were mostly older (59 percent over 25) and male (53 percent).

Internationally, “Halloween” earned $14.3 million from 23 markets.

Blumhouse, the shop behind “Get Out” and numerous other modestly budgeted horror films, co-produced “Halloween” with Miramax. It

cost only $10 million to make.

“You take the nostalgia for ‘Halloween,’ especially with the return of Jamie Lee Curtis, and you combine that with the Blumhouse brand and its contemporary currency in the genre and it just made for a ridiculously potent combination at the box office this weekend,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution.

With 10 days to go until the holiday, including another weekend, the studio expects “Halloween” to enjoy a much longer life than typical horror films that usually drop off significantly after the first weekend.

“Halloween” was enough to bump the comic-book film “Venom” out of the No. 1 spot and into third place. In its third weekend in theaters, it collected $18.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $171.1 million.

Meanwhile “A Star Is Born” held on to second place in its third weekend with $19.3 million. The Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga drama has grossed $126.4 million from North American theaters and is cruising to break $200 million worldwide Sunday.

Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic “First Man” tumbled to fifth place in its second weekend earning $8.6 million, down 46 percent from its launch.

It was a particularly busy week at the box office as critically acclaimed films such as the young adult adaptation “The Hate U Give” and the Robert Redford swan song “The Old Man & The Gun”

Universal Pictures via AP This image released by Universal Pictures shows Jamie Lee Curtis in a scene from “Halloween,” in theaters nationwide on Oct. 19.

expanded nationwide after a few weeks in limited release.

“The Hate U Give,” now in 2,303 locations, placed sixth with $7.5 million, and “The Old Man & The Gun” took 10th with $2.1 million from 802 locations.

A number of well-received indies also made their debuts.

At the top was Jonah Hill’s directorial debut “Mid90s,” which opened in four theaters with $249,500 (or a $62,375 per theater average).

The Melissa McCarthy film “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” about the literary forger Lee Israel, grossed $150,000 in five locations.

October has never been a particularly strong box office month, but 2018 has helped to change that. The weekend was

up nearly 72 percent from the same weekend last October and the year to date is up nearly 11 percent.

“The industry is on a major roll right now,” said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Audiences are responding to movies big and small right now — You can have your cinematic fast food and fine dining all at once right now. The movie-going experience is as viable and relevant as ever.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.

Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released

Monday.

1.”Halloween,” $77.5 million ($14.3 million international).

2.”A Star Is Born,” $19.3 million ($22.8 million international).

3.”Venom,” $18.1 million ($32.3 million international).

4.”Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween,” $9.7 million ($6.2 million international).

5.”First Man,” $8.6 million ($13.4 million international).

6.”The Hate U Give,”$7.5 million.

7. “Smallfoot,” $6.6 million ($14 million international).

8.”Night School,” $5 million ($1.5 million international).

9.”Bad Times At The El Royale,” $3.3 million ($2.5 million international).

10.”The Old Man & The Gun,” $2 million.

WWE women’s movement takes hit with Saudi Arabia involvement Doug Feinberg & Dan Gelston Associated Press

Former WWE champ Alexa Bliss ditched her skimpy two-piece ring gear for a full bodysuit. Performing for the first time in the United Arab Emirates, where strict rules govern what women wear in public, Bliss wasn’t about to risk offending a nation set to have WWE female wrestlers fight on the same card as the men.

She went hold-to-hold with Sasha Banks to make wrestling history — and fans in a country where women have had to fight for the right to drive

responded with chants of “This is hope!”

“The welcome was so warm,” Bliss said of fighting Banks for the WWE Raw women’s championship, a year after female stars made only promotional appearances at the event. “They were up-to-date with women’s story lines. There were little girls crying in happiness. It was just so cool because we got to have that moment with them.”

The December bout was widely hailed as an empowering, key moment for the sports entertainment giant — progress toward a stated goal to transform how women’s wrestling

Universal Pictures via AP In this Aug. 18, 2017, file photo, WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss is seen at the WWE 2K18 SummerSlam Kickoff Event in New York. Bliss ditched her skimpy two-piece ring gear that helped make the former WWE champ one of the more alluring wrestlers in the company for a full bodysuit.

is promoted. WWE is taking another step this weekend with a pay-per-view card in New York featuring all female wrestlers, dubbed Evolution and headlined by former UFC star Ronda Rousey .

“It’s not just a women’s evolution in WWE,” Bliss said. “It’s an evolution all over the world.”

Don’t ring the bell for the win just yet.

WWE set aside its women’s movement in favor of a more lucrative statement in Saudi Arabia, an event next month titled Crown Jewel with female wrestlers banned from competition. The deal has prompted a public smackdown from fans , bipartisan criticism from politicians and lampooning from late-night hosts, backlash that took a turn and grew louder after writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul .

The financials are murky but WWE was expected to make between $20 million and $40 million from the two Saudi Arabian shows this year, as part of a 10-year deal.

“WWE will say running Saudi Arabia is all about their hope of inspiring change,” wrestling journalist Jason Powell said. “It screams cash grab regardless of how they spin it. I’m happy the women are getting their own show and they deserve it, but the company’s ongoing business relationship with the Saudis is a black cloud hanging over not just the Evolution event but the

company as a whole.”

There are now hints the show may not happen as planned. The wildly popular Undertaker heard boos when he talked about Crown Jewel in a promo last week on “Smackdown.” WWE has heavily downplayed Saudia Arabia itself in its promoting of the event. The country wasn’t mentioned as Crown Jewel’s site on recent television shows and it doesn’t show up on advertising on its website .

WWE has said it was “monitoring the situation.”

Natalya Neidhart, niece of WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart, said she hoped that should WWE proceed, changes for women could happen over the course of the deal.

“You’re not going to change a culture overnight. I think WWE is taking such positive steps in doing positive things over in Saudi Arabia,” she said. “One day, I believe that we will be over there.”

Bliss said she believed women should get the chance to wrestle in Riyadh.

“I don’t feel like it’s out of reach,” she said. “Who knows? I don’t think it’s ever not a possibility.”

Until then, if ever, WWE is counting on events like Evolution to push women into the headlines.

WWE has started to give women equal billing with men on the biggest cards. Its event at Nassau Coliseum on see WWE, Page 9

Wednesday OctOber 24, 2018

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WWE, From Page 8 Sunday is a statement, topped by one of the most famous and marketable athletes in sports in Rousey.

The WWE has delivered a list of firsts for women over the last two years — from the brutality of a Hell in a Cell match, the ladder-climbing, briefcase-snatching Money in the Bank bout to the Royal Rumble where Rousey made her debut — the kind of overthe-top gimmick fights that for decades had been reserved for men only.

“We’re running out of firstevers because the women are taking over,” Neidhart said.

“I feel like in the WWE right

now, it’s becoming normal for women to be at the forefront.”

John Cena, Daniel Bryan and The Miz are sitting Sunday out.

Rousey headlines Evolution against Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch takes on Charlotte Flair, and Bliss and Mickie James team up to face returning stars Trish Stratus and Lita in the other top matches.

WWE was a bit late in the fight game in pushing females to the top of the card. Rousey headlined her first UFC payper-view in 2013 and female boxers have long straddled the line between seriousness and sideshow. WWE first saw the value of a legitimate women’s division in its developmental NXT promotion and started giving major story lines and

longer matches to future WWE stars like Flair, Banks, Bayley and Asuka.

Bliss grew up a wrestling fan (she laughed that her grandmother wanted to marry Dusty Rhodes) and she’d jump in a pool with her cousins as they mimicked stars like the Hardy Boyz and Lita. Now, little girls emulate the 5-foot1 troublemaking “Goddess” of WWE, who, despite her badgirl persona, credits fans who pushed on social media for women to get star billing like Steve Austin or the Rock.

Bliss, who signed with the WWE in 2015 in the midst of its shift, described it as a time when fans wanted more for women.

“Our fans saw that we were

the egalitarian WWW.hccegalitarian.cOm

getting 30-second matches.

They saw we were capable of more, we just weren’t getting the opportunities,” Bliss said.

“It was our fans who rallied behind us and saw we were deserving of more.”

Stephanie McMahon, WWE’s chief brand officer and main event female villain, is touting Sunday’s show as a chance to show how much the company has changed its presentation of women.

“Our women were treated as secondary, if not tertiary type, characters and our fans had had enough,” McMahon told The Associated Press before a pay-per-view event in August.

“They started a hashtag that trended on Twitter for three days, #givedivasachance.

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Specifically calling for better matches, longer matches, more athleticism, better story lines. Their voices were so loud that our chairman and CEO, my father (Vince McMahon), heard them and said, keep watching and we’ll give divas a chance.”

WWE is making clear its long term plans even though those efforts for women have been clouded by its Saudi Arabia deal. The promotion wants to keep the focus on the women actually fighting in New York, not their absence overseas.

“Now, you have little girls everywhere saying, ‘I want to be a WWE superstar,’” Neidhart said. “I want to be like those girls. It’s because of the movement.”

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Houston Dynamo end with a bang

Ana Ramirez

aramirez@hccegalitarian.com

The Houston Dynamo season is coming to an end. Dynamo did not qualify for the playoffs with a record of nine wins, eight draws, and sixteen loses.

Although, the season was successful with the Houston Dynamo winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open cup on September 26, beating Philadelphia Union 3-0. The Houston Dynamo unveiled their banner on Oct 21 during halftime.

Winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open cup championship makes this the Dynamo’s third domestic championships.

According to the Dynamo website, “The club won the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007, its first two seasons in Houston.

With three titles under their belt, the Dynamo have more trophies than any other current professional franchise in Houston despite being the city’s newest franchise.”

The Houston Dynamo played their last home game of the season Sunday, October 21 against Seattle Sounders.

Dynamo fell short losing to the sounders 3-2.

Four Houston Dynamo

players are nominated for yearend MLS awards. The finalist for the awards is going to be announced on October 31.

Wilmer Cabrera, appointed for the Coach of the Year.

Cabrera was named the Houston Dynamo coach on November of 2016. He had led the Dynamo in 2017 to the playoffs and had been driving the club to success.

Forwards, Mauro Manotas and Alberth Elis were both nominated for the 2018 Landon Donavan MLS MVP Awards.

During the season, Mauro Manotas set a Dynamo record for the most goals in a season with 17 goals breaking Cubo Torres record of 14.

Alberth Elis is the most feared attacker in the MLS league. Elis has eleven goals and nine assists for the season. He became the second player in the club’s history to reach 20 combined goals and assists in a season since Brad Davis.

On September 17, Elis was named to the MLS Team of the week and was one of the players named to the 2018 MLS All-Star game. The All-Star game played on August 1, 2018, against Juventus. The game leads up to penalties with MLS losing 5-3.

The Houston Dynamo team captain DeMarcus Beasly

David J. Phillip / AP Photo Houston Dynamo players celebrate after the U.S. Open Cup championship soccer match against the Philadelphia Union Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, in Houston. Houston Dynamo won 3-0.

nominated for the Defender of the year award. After Beasly’s year filled with injuries last season, this season he has been active than ever. As of October 16, Beasly has 2060 minutes played, 54 tackles, 23 interceptions, 2 assist, 1 goal and a 86.81% pass completion rate.

Goalkeeper, Joe Willis is nominated for the Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year and MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year. Willis had a great season

both on and off the field.

According to American Soccer Analysis’ Metrics, Willis had the third lowest goals against minus expected goals against in the MLS. Willis allowed six fewer goals than expected based on the shots he has faced throughout the season.

Off the field, Willis is part of the Dynamo’s Special Olympics Unified team for three years, being a part of all team signings days and leading team tryouts.

Willis takes time to know every athlete’s name and makes sure he can talk to them before each of their games.

Willis has played a role in distributing equipment to schools in the area through Every Save Makes A Difference Program with Allstate and Univision Deportes.

The Houston Dynamo, last game of the season, is on Sunday, October 28 against LA Galaxy in Los Angeles, California.

Chad Kelly in trouble after Halloween party Kathleen Foody & Arnie Stapleton Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Denver Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of criminal trespass after a couple reported he came into their suburban house uninvited and sat down on their couch “mumbling incoherently,” according to court records.

General manager John Elway said the team was “very, very disappointed in Chad and the situation he put himself into” and suggested the Broncos were pondering Kelly’s future with the club.

Kelly attended a Halloween costume party hosted by Von Miller on Monday

Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office via AP) Denver Broncos’ backup quarterback was arrested early Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, on suspicion of criminal trespass into a home in Englewood.

night that has long been a tradition for Broncos players and their significant others.

The Broncos were trying to figure out what happened after Kelly left the party.

“We are in the process of getting all the facts and talking to Chad, and then we’ll figure out exactly which direction we’re going to go,” Elway said on his weekly radio show on Orange & Blue 760. “When the team has a gettogether, (it) is always a good thing. You like . when they get together and the camaraderie that goes along with being a team. But when you have one person that kind of puts a dent in the whole process, it’s very disappointing.

“We’re going to look into this, and look into it very seriously, because the charges are very, very serious and we understand that,” Elway said. “We will look into this and then make decisions as we go.”

The 24-year-old Kelly posted $2,500 bond Tuesday and was released. He’s due back in court Wednesday.

According to court records, a couple told police that a stranger came into their Englewood home after 1 a.m.

The intruder sat down on the couch next to the woman, who was holding the couple’s young child, and was “mumbling incoherently,” according to the records.

The man yelled at the intruder to get out and hit him in the back with a vacuum tube. The homeowners showed police surveillance video of a man wearing dark pants, a white long sleeve shirt with a brown vest and a red scarf around his neck entering the front door.

The homeowner told police he thought the door was locked but police

found no signs that someone had forced their way inside.

Police said they found Kelly sitting inside a black SUV parked about a block from the couple’s home. Kelly matched the couple’s description and the man later identified him as the person who came into the house, according to court documents.

Kelly’s arrest could put the secondyear pro in line for discipline from the Broncos or the league, which doesn’t need a court conviction to mete out punishment for a violation of the NFL’s code of conduct.

“We are reviewing the matter,” the NFL said in an email to The Associated Press.

The Broncos chose Kelly with the final pick of the 2017 NFL draft. Although Kelly brought an attitude that had often crossed the line in college, Elway said fellow Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly personally vouched for his nephew, so Elway signed off on the selection.

Chad Kelly missed his rookie season while recovering from knee and wrist injuries, then beat out former firstround draft pick Paxton Lynch last summer to serve as the backup for starter Case Keenum.

Keenum signed a two-year, $36 million deal in March but is off to a middling start for the Broncos (3-4).

He has eight touchdown passes and nine interceptions after throwing for 22 TDs with just seven interceptions last season in Minnesota, where he led the Vikings to the NFC championship.

Kelly has played just one snap, a kneel-down on the final play of the first half against the Rams two weeks ago while Keenum was being evaluated for a concussion.

On Monday, coach Vance Joseph said he’d be comfortable with Kelly at quarterback should anything happen to Keenum.

The only other quarterback on the Broncos roster is Kevin Hogan, a third-year pro from Stanford who was awarded to Denver off waivers from Washington last month.

Kelly’s spectacular college career at Ole Miss was marked by off-field slipups, although he hadn’t been in any trouble since the Broncos drafted him.

He was kicked off the Clemson team in 2014 after arguing with coaches during the spring game. He also was arrested after a bar fight in 2014, eventually pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

In October 2016, he was involved in a brawl at his brother’s high school football game in New York. He ran onto the field after his brother, Casey Kelly, apparently took a late hit and video shows several coaches restraining him on the field.

Although he didn’t play in the Senior Bowl after his final season at Ole Miss because of a right knee injury, he was in attendance all week in Mobile, Alabama, so he could talk with NFL teams about his off-field troubles.

At the time, he said being upfront about his missteps was important: “You’ve got to be honest, of course, but you’ve got to admit to what you did and you’ve got to try to convince them that you’ve learned from those mistakes and that you’re not going to make them again. The owner doesn’t want to hear about it. The GM doesn’t want to hear about what you did. They want to know if you’ve learned from it and won’t make the same mistake twice.”

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Commentary

Wednesday October 24, 2018

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Let’s Go Astros!

Egal•i•tar•i•an (adjective) aiming for equal wealth, status, etc., for all people 3517 Austin; 303 Fine Arts Center; Houston TX 77004 Phone: 713.718.6016; Fax: 713.718.6601 Adviser: Fredrick Batiste

FALL 2018 EGALITARIAN STAFF Editor-in-Chief........................................... John Cañamar News Editor............................................. Sarah Al-Shaikh Sports Editor.................................................Ana Ramirez Culture Editor..............................................Ana Gonzalez Photo Editor............................................................... TBA Social Media Mgr....................................................... TBA Staff Writer................................................. Wendy Cortez Staff Writer................................................. Marquis Wiley Staff Writer................................................................. TBA Staff Writer................................................................. TBA 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 8,000 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.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

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 adviser@hccegalitarian.com.

I’m now an Orange and Blue blood Ana Gonzalez

agonzalez@hccegalitarian.com

When you are from California, there’s a good chance that you may be affiliated with a random team that is not from California.

Why is that? Do outside teams play better than our home teams?

It depends, but that’s not the case if you are a Houstonian rooting for the Astros.

But the funny thing is, I am not a Houstonian. I am a native southern Californian. The Angels, the Dodgers, and the Raiders were life. However, I admired the former more than both the latter. The Anaheim Angels, before they changed the name to –shrug-- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, won their first World Series championship in 2002 and I was happy, alongside millions of “Angelinos” around the LA area.

I still had a love for the Angels every year.

I watched their games every now and again until I got older. Fast forward to three years ago, in 2015. I moved to Houston on my own. I still had my Californian habits, which includes rooting for my Angels. Throughout my first few months living in Houston, I noticed how close-knit residents were with their teams. Houston Rockets, Houston Dynamo, and of course, the Houston Astros. They weren’t doing pretty good at the time, which was depressing.

Because I now live in Houston, I felt like I was “forced” to cheer for every Houston team, and that included the Texans, too, no matter how they play offensively or defensively. Each Houston sports team had closeness between the team and the fans.

The fans love them, and they love the fans.

Fast forward to the 2017 season, after the last game of the American League Division Series (ALDS). The Astros had just beaten the Boston Red Sox. Local news outlets began to bring out so much hype about the Astros made it to the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Houston was still trying to recover from Hurricane Harvey, and many people needed at least one good news story out of all the destruction and the long recovery process.

Soon, I started to notice a huge surge of orange and blue; in all of my classes at HCC, at work, even around my neighborhood. I didn’t want to make any comment, but I also didn’t know it was becoming a huge deal. I began to realize that this moment was a way for Houstonians to come together and celebrate.

Fast forward once more, the Astros won the ALCS and their second pennant. They won their first in 2005.

“WORLD SERIES” stamped all over the city of Houston. We disregarded the Rockets, the Texans, or even the Dynamo.

The Astros were our sole focus because we were one step away to winning our first World Series. I would ask everyone I know, such as friends and classmates, and even co-workers how would they feel; and the first thing they would always say is “I am nervous because of the Astros!!”.

The World Series started, and everyone wanted to be off work early to get to their homes or even at Minute Maid Park as early as possible for the big game. It was a back-and-forth type of situation. Dodgers won. Astros won. Astros won twice. Then Dodgers won twice. The game score was 3-3, and on Halloween night, Dodgers forced a Game 7.

November 1 finally came. I was home alone for Game 7, and it was my night off from work. That night I realized that I empathized every Astros fan out there. As an Angels fan, we felt the same way. It was Game 7 and we were on the edge of our

Ana Gonzalez / HCC Egalitarian Ana showing off her new found spirit for the Houston Astros by wearing her favorite player’s jersey, Jose Altuve.

seats. All or nothing. Our first World Series title was on the line; a once-in-a-lifetime moment that may never happen again.

Astros won, 5-1.

They joined alongside the Angels and the Cubs and other teams that won their first World Series title. The Friday after Game 7, Mayor Sylvester Turner declared it as a Houstonian holiday, where he gave HISD students and teachers the day off to see the parade. Sadly, since I live outside of Houston, I had to work that day.

Days after the Astros won the World Series, certain words began to come out of my mouth when I told my boyfriend of three years these exact words: “I want Astros merchandise”. It was impossible at the time because of long lines at Academy Sports & Outdoors as well as the Astros Team Store at Minute Maid Park. They were as long as the circumference of NRG Stadium.

Eventually, I got my first Astros merch ever: a beanie hat.

Fast forward one more time to today.

The Astros are once again on the run for a second World Series title. One day, after the Astros beat the Indians during the ALDS, I decided to stop by Academy for a peek at the new merch. The Cool Base jerseys (the ones that are blue with orange on the sides), were on sale in comparison to their original white jerseys. It was tempting, and it was the last one with my favorite player, Jose Altuve. It was either I get to splurge $100 on it or buy a cheap T-shirt that I would wear one time.

After I bought it, I began to realize: “wait a minute, I’m an ANGELS fan. Why did I buy an ASTROS jersey?”

To be frank, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. A New York Yankees fan who wrote a lengthy post on Reddit [now deleted] that he was “happy that the Astros are advancing”, and that he has “hope that they can beat our rivals as well”.

I still have a love for my Anaheim—I’m sorry, the LOS ANGELES Angels of Anaheim. Just because I’m in Houston doesn’t mean I’ll stop cheering for y’all.

When the Astros are going for World Series Title number 2, you just have to cheer for them, especially since they’ve been through so much the past couple of years. You’ll get your second chance someday, once you fix your defense!

Go ‘Stros!

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Wednesday October 24, 2018

The Egalitarian www.HCCEgalitarian.com

@HCC_Egalitarian