Follow Fear (How Ellen’s Fear Made Her Millions)

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If you could do anything in the world without failure, what would it be? Would you become an astronaut, a cardiologist, or a talk show host? What is keeping you from following your dreams? Comedian, successful television personality, and a household name, Ellen DeGeneres has done the “impossible” and is a prime example on why facing your fear is a good thing. Although everything may look effortless as she enters her 15th season of The Ellen Show, making a name for herself was a struggle.

A yogi by the name of Sadhguru once said, “Fear is simply because you are not living life, you are living in your mind. That means your fear is always about that which does not exist. If your fear is about the non-existent, your fear is a hundred percent imaginary.” Before DeGeneres was a big time talk show host she starred in a sitcom called Ellen from 1994 to 1998. In 1997, she did something courageous she stopped hiding her true identity and by coming out and saying she was gay on national television. Mind you, this was during a time when people did not discuss sexuality, gay marriage was far from being legal, and there were a few openly gay actors.

DeGeneres says, “I didn’t do this because I was fearless, I did it in spite of the fact that I was scared to death…it made me really proud of myself and made me realize I wasn’t as weak and pathetic as I thought.”

Can you imagine what it’s like for someone to judge you simply because you refuse to live a lie? Many people admire Ellen for her honesty because in life you will always be faced with things that scare you, but it is up to you on how you choose to let “fear” affect you. Ellen lost her career for three years, lost all her money, and had to start all over. There might a time in life when most of us will hit rock bottom. You will either let your “failure” consume you, or take that opportunity to start over and get back on your feet.

As Ellen once said, “The bad things are our biggest teachers.”

After being inspired by Johnny Carson, Ellen herself wanted to attempt her own talk show but once again was fearful because her thought was, “Who is going to watch a gay woman in the middle of the day?” Now 15 years later the show is doing more than okay!

The path to success is not a straight line and if you truly want to live your purpose and maximize your full potential you must live without fear. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, take risks, and be unapologetic for your personality. Nothing happens over night, I once heard Oprah say, “l don’t believe in luck, ‘luck’ is when preparation meets opportunity.”

No matter how outlandish your dreams may seem, it’s possible, remember in 1997, people thought Ellen would never be able to show her face in Hollywood again.

Local Church’s Million Dollar Remodel

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On August 27th, 2017 more than two thousand people, members and non-members, gathered at First Baptist Texarkana. Their newfound curiosity? A sanctuary with a renovation ringing up a whopping 1.4 million dollars.

The campaign “To the King” began in February 2017. After worshiping in the same room for 32 years, leaders of First Baptist agreed it was time to bring the room up to date. The carpet in the church was frayed and pulled up in multiple areas, the pews had carvings in the wood, and the paint was old. The church made a bold statement that honoring God included taking care of “His House,” which meant fixing what looked unpleasant. This would involve a new sound system, new flooring, stadium style seating, added railing in the balcony for safety, and fresh coats of paint. To do it right, the church had to raise 1.4 million dollars in donations. After several weeks of prayer and offerings, the total sum amounted to $1,535,408.

Members had the opportunity to stake a claim to one of the old pews if they wished, and those not claimed were donated to churches in need. A day was also dedicated for people to sign their names and write thoughts and prayers where the new flooring would be laid. In a sense, they had the opportunity to leave their mark on history.

The overhaul took 83 days, and a few changes had to be made for this to happen. Sunday morning service was held in three different areas of the church. As if this wasn’t hectic enough, these rooms still didn’t have the capacity to hold the usual Sunday crowd. So, there were two different times offered for services.

Without a baptistery accessible, no weekly baptisms were held. However, FBC made the best of it and hosted a summer celebration. Everyone who had been saved during the summer renovation was baptized outside on the church softball field. A little untraditional, but hey, there was free food and sand volleyball! While it was interesting to have a change of venue, members were glad when everything settled back down to normal. An anonymous member even joked “It’s nice to be back in the sanctuary. I just hope people know I hold season tickets to this row of seats.”

All in all, First Baptist Texarkana did a wonderful job. Even though they updated the room to give it a modern feel, the original stained glass is still intact. If you have a Sunday morning free, you should add making a visit to your list of things to do. Deacon Bill Gordon says, “While the remodeled sanctuary is truly beautiful, it is only so because it honors God”

For some, visiting a church might not be a priority. If that is you, there is a YouTube video to check out that is worth watching. You will feel like you are a part of the action.

Our Obsession with Superheroes

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Superheroes have become a major part of modern day pop culture. Every century has their obsession, The Greek era had its obsession with pleasing multiple gods and the 80s went through its obsession with neon colors and insanely poofy hair. So when and how did superhero movies become popular?

It can be said that the beginning of superheroes becoming mainstream in cinema was Spider-Man in 2002. There were plenty of superhero films before Spider-Man, but this was where superheroes began having a big effect on millennials. Now we have the ability to portray them in a realistic way. The more technology progressed, the more realistic super heroes became.

Iron Man is a playboy, and that isn’t exactly the best role model. However, he does defeat terrorists, and considering that is such a prominent topic in our media and politics today, Iron Man is made relevant to us. Iron Man began Marvel’s phase one of the cinematic universe that we see today. There has been a superhero film almost every year since then and is all ultimately leading to Avengers Infinity War, which will be one of the biggest films in history. It doesn’t matter if it is good or bad–there has never been a film where so many previous films and characters lead up to it.

We also see the tone of the movies getting darker. In Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight we not only see a Batman like we have never seen before–more dark, brooding, and self-aware–but also a Joker that leads the audience to question human nature itself. Heath Ledger’s Joker was a darker and different Joker than we had ever seen before. Normally fans would be outraged by any change to a long beloved character, but Ledger did it right. That sets up a type of superhero film that people wanted to see. It is the reason DC has been able to keep up with Marvel. Both companies have brought their own unique attributes and beloved characters.

Marvel has somewhat taken DC’s darker approach with their release of the Netflix series Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones–all of which leads up to the release of The Defenders. The Defenders are not fond of being called superheroes. They are much more complex, and audiences have shown fondness of such complex characters. In our modern world, complex characters and anti-heroes are becoming more popular. Deadpool for example is an anti-hero. He is a taco loving, fast talking mercenary with a morbid sense of humor. The reason for dark, complex characters to become popular is most likely because of today’s politics.

In today’s world it is hard to distinguish good from bad. Even in Captain America: The Winter Solider, Captain America struggles to find a side to trust when Shield, a once trusted institution, turns out to be taken over by Hydra, the all foreboding enemy. The audience is able to understand and accept that everything in life is not a black and white scenario; cinema is able to delve into such topics now.

Whichever way the superhero films go, they are here to stay. They may not be as popular in the future as they are now, but they definitely started something that reflects our views and generation.

Speak up or stay quiet?

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Women are supposed to be quiet. Women are supposed to be polite. Women are supposed to be delicate creatures to be seen and not heard. These are just a few of the misconceptions people have about women that can be very damaging to women and society. Growing up, I was taught the importance of being a lady, but did not realize what that could convey to others. While my mother always told me to speak my mind, I realized at a young age that the girls that spoke their minds were viewed negatively. Teachers and students thought they were being bossy or rude when they were behaving like the boys.

Many women struggle with assertion because it is a quality that is more acceptable in men. If a woman is outspoken or bold in her approach to a situation or person, she is at risk of being viewed as less of a lady. This is a problem when they are put in situations where it is very important that they assert their opinions and feelings, such as the workplace.

On July 26, Utah nurse, Alex Wubbels, was arrested when she refused to let police take blood from an unconscious patient. Her arrest sparked outrage because she was following the correct legal protocol for her job and was put in handcuffs. However, how would this situation have been different if she had not spoken up? If this was the case, Wubbels could have lost her job for going against policy.

Because more women are choosing to be in traditionally male dominated careers, there is an increased need for assertiveness to ensure that these women are taken seriously in their profession. One step is for women to speak up. They should feel more comfortable making requests and asking questions. While some may feel uncomfortable asking their boss about a promotion, this can open a conversation that can lead to career advancement. It is also important to assume responsibility for emotions. Using “I” statements shows that they are not blaming anyone else for how they feel. The next step is to be ready for the consequences of assertion.

Women are showing their assertion through feminism and following celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Lady Gaga, who have spoken their minds on controversial subjects. This country is more welcoming to this behavior than others. Gauri Lankesh, an Indian journalist, was sentenced to prison for a story about a local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party last year. On the evening of September 5, she was found dead on her porch from gun shots. Although it is unknown the reason for her murder, she was known to be outspoken.

While there are still grave consequences for assertion, it is still an important skill for women to work on. It can help women move forward in both their professional and personal lives. It truly is a skill to communicate thoughts, ideas, and opinions without being disrespectful. The absence of this skill can keep women from advancing further in their lives, which counteracts with what many women are working very hard toward.

Stressed

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Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. Basically, we have all been under stress at one point or another. Do you know what happens to your body when it is stressed? “Stress tends to be a physical response, so when stressed, the body thinks it’s under attack and switches to fight or flight mode. In doing so, it releases a complex group of chemicals and hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine to prepare the body for action.”[1] Stress causes physical actions with “blood being diverted to muscles, and pausing unnecessary bodily function such as digestion.”¹ Essentially, stress messes with your tummy which explains why some people get so stressed they can’t eat, they overeat, or overall feel sick to their stomach.

However, not all stress is bad, occasionally when you are faced with a situation where you need to fight or run stress comes in handy as it decreases blood in the brain to put it into your muscles. This allows one to think quickly without over thinking and if one needs to run that is a split-second decision. By chance, if, one needs to fight that is also a split-second decision.  Stress in these situations is how we survive. Stress also allows us to meet deadlines and teaches us to perform under pressure. Stress in itself is a motivator in these cases.

What happens “when our body goes into stress in inappropriate situations?”¹ With blood flow going away from the brain at this point it leads to being unable to think straight. Which, as some of you know it only causes ones stress to become worse. By staying in a state of stress for extended periods of times it ends up being bad for our health by increasing blood pressure and sugar levels. By staying constantly stressed it can lead to depression, anxiety, sleep problems, getting sick easily, skin conditions, weight problems, and even problems with memory.

Some signs and symptoms of stress overload can cause many wide-ranging symptoms like; being more pessimistic than usual, moodiness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, loneliness. Some physical symptoms are headaches, getting sick frequently, aches-and-pains, nausea, and upset stomach. Stress can even cause one’s behavior to change, where you are unable to relax, nervous habits like biting your nails and pacing become worse. You smoke and or drink more than normal. You end up eating too much or not enough and the same goes for one’s sleep. You either sleep too much or not enough.

Okay, so you are stressed. Now what can you do to relieve some stress? You can become more active. By being active, it helps drop one’s stress level.  Talk it out, don’t be afraid to talk to someone. By communicating with another person, it releases a hormone that relieves stress.  Engage your senses, listen to music, watch TV, take up a hobby like painting, anything that keeps the senses busy is a fast way to reduce one’s stress. Try getting a better night’s sleep because that can do wonders to one’s stress. But ultimately know your body and know how it works. Try to become aware of when it is stressed and then learn how to relax. You know your body better than anyone else, so it’s up to you to take care of it and learn how you handle stress.

[1] What is Stress? (2017, January 04). Retrieved September 06, 2017, from

What is Stress?

Trees Need Baths Too

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Richardson Rutter-Reese

Local crepe myrtles have been home to a nasty infestation that has only been spreading. The pests are known as Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale. These pests invade the tree, and suck out tree sap. After the pests eat, mold grows on their secretions. This mold creates a layer over the tree, which slows the process of photosynthesis. Given enough time untreated, the tree will die.

On February 19, the city of Texarkana decided enough was enough. With the help of students at A&M – Texarkana and a few residents, the city tackled its infestation problem downtown. On a breezy Friday morning students showed up ready to clean their city. After a little instruction by a wildlife representative, students got to cleaning. All it took was warm water, some dawn dish soap, and willing volunteers. Over the course of two hours, trees were giving a bath, and got cleansed of their scales and mold.

Although downtown Texarkana trees were washed, the problem is not over. The Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale is an invasive species, and since it was first spotted in Dallas in 2004, it has spread over Texas, and to other states in Louisiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The most active time for the species is in the summer time, so it is important to inspect any Crepe Myrtles before the have an opportunity to hatch and reproduce. It is recommended to give Crepe Myrtles at least one cleaning a year. This will not only keep local trees infestation free, but slow the spread of the infestation to other areas.

Organizations represented are, Phi Lambda Chi Fraternity, Omega Delta Chi Sorority, and the Student Government Association.

trees need baths too

Left to right is Erin Beach, Ruth Kliewer, Bryan Huynh, Michael Canales, Alex Claiborne, Kacie Gray, Emily Rios-Rojas, Elizabeth Vargas, Braxton Wood, Aaron Harp, Austin Greig, and Heath Coston.

One Play can Change Everything

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Kevin Luthringer

Injuries have always been a big part of any sport. No one knows when and how a player could get hurt so there is no way to plan for it. More often than not an injury can derail a team especially if it happens in the postseason or the playoffs. That is exactly what has happened this year in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

The Golden State Warriors, who broke the record of most wins in a single season by a team with a 73-9 record, saw their MVP go down not once but twice. In Game 1 of their series with the Houston Rockets, last year’s MVP and the presumptive MVP for this year, Steph Curry tweaked his ankle. He was able to return to action after missing the next two games in Game 4. As if it wasn’t bad enough seeing him go down once, in the first half of Game 4 he seemed to slip on a wet spot where an opponent had fallen just before. When he fell he hyperextended his knee which could sideline him for up to two weeks. This could have been a devastating injury, but the Los Angeles Clippers experienced worse.

In Game 4 of the Clippers’ series with the Portland Trailblazers right after Steph Curry got hurt for the second time, the Clips saw their two best players go down in less than 2 hours. The leader and point guard of the team, Chris Paul fractured his hand which would sideline him indefinitely. If that was not a big enough blow, Blake Griffin, their All-Star power forward re-injured his quad taking him out for the remainder of the playoffs.

So instead of a fully loaded 4th seeded Clipper team going up against a limp Steph Curry-led 1st seeded Warriors team, the Clippers couldn’t make it out of the first round. After the two injuries, the Clippers would go on to lose the rest of the games allowing the Trailblazers to advance to the second round against the Warriors. The Warriors team is now handling the Trailblazers fairly easy in the absence of their MVP, which most likely would not have been the case against the Clips.

Injuries are always an unavoidable part of sports, and lately it seems that they have had huge impacts on the NBA Playoffs. Either way, all we can hope for is for the stars to stay healthy for the rest of the Playoffs and an entertaining run to the Finals!

Unsung

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Leira Moore

Have you ever noticed how clean the rooms look as you enter them for class or how pristine the bathrooms and halls are? If you have then thank a custodian, because they pick up after you when you accidentally leave trash or paper lying around. When I first came here to study I was actually rather surprised at how friendly the custodian staff is. It’s not just one particular person but the group, overrall, are great people, and I guess you have to be when you find empty cups laying everywhere, including bathrooms.

Major props to the cafeteria staff as well. They make your food! They put in the hard work to feed an army of students and staff everyday! Some workers are up here really early and others really late. They take the time to prepare for an event that the school is hosting, all while the food is delicious. So remember to thank the staff for cooking you a meal so you weren’t left hungry.

Other very important people include ground workers, security, book store, library, and advising staff, and tutors, for they give students everything they need to make their time at the campus easier and more successful. They take their time to help you with your needs and often enough if they can’t help you they give you other ways or options to help yourself. They are knowledgable in what they do and one cannot forget to thank them either.

Ultimately I just wanted to bring light to all the people who come together to make the experience here pleasant and rewarding. I wanted to remind people to be thankful and polite to everyone no matter who they are. So, as the semester comes to a close I would like to wish the students good luck on finals while wishing everyone to have fun and a safe summer break.

Stepping Up: Arkansas High Theater

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Allison Hall

Arkansas High, of all things, is probably least known for its theater program, but I have a feeling that that is about to change. In 2014, a new instructor was introduced and he couldn’t be doing a better job. Since the arrival of Mr. Hamilton, set design, casting, cast and crew chemistry and much more has blossomed. The most recent production, performed four times from April 21 to April 24 by both a white cast and a red cast, blew my mind having one of the most energetic casts I have seen in a while. I attended the white cast performance only, yet it is clear to see that there is a lot of new and eager talent moving up the theatrical ladder at Arkansas High.

Harvey, an original 1941 piece, was performed amazingly by the white cast. Upon entering the student union at Arkansas high, the audience was swept away by melodic notes of what is assumed to be songs of the era. The atmosphere was great. Sitting in eagerness, the audience is greeted by a very vivid and optically pleasing set as the curtains open at seven. Differently than typical shows, the music didn’t stop. It continued and followed a light footed maid around the set. The really cool thing about the set was the fact that it was double sided and rotate friendly. The curtains never closed. While scenes changed music played and the audience got to experience the creation of a new area, which, to me, added to the elegance of the show. Everything ran so smoothly and gracefully. Even the characters seem completely natural.

Speaking of characterization, the cast was phenomenal, particularly James Hodges playing as Elwood P. Dowd and Semaj Harris who played Judge Omar Gaffney. Hodges did exceptionally well in creating this quirky, smooth, and lovable Elwood that made the audience chuckle and aw at his innocence. Elwood came across as this pure child-like man and the audience fell in love. It really worked in contributing to the idea of the imaginary bunny (sort of an imaginary friend that a kid would have) and the thought of Dowd actually being mentally unstable (kind of a coping mechanism for whatever the issue may be). Spoiler alert, in the end Elwood is fine, but Hodges’ use of swift arm gestures and naturalized interaction with a rabbit that’s obviously not there kept the audience guessing. It felt magical. Mr. Harris was a different story. The audience had love for him, but for completely different reasons. His over the top stereotypical judge persona and use of a typically authoritative klutz accent sent the audience over the edge. It was funny. And I don’t mean funny like I just heard a joke about the economy and chuckled. I mean funny like I just saw another flying lawnmower video pared with random music and laughed until I cried. His timing is impeccable. This added so much to the comedic vibe he put off. He paused at just the right moments to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Venturing from these two, the entire cast was really incredible.

In the end, Harvey was fun and family-friendly and actually entertaining. I’m still in awe. I can’t wait to see the next show in the fall. I urge that you do the same!

TAMUT Hosts Casino Night in Eagle Hall

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Andy Verke Jr.

On Sunday, April 24th Eagle Hall, on the campus of Texas A&M University-Texarkana, turned into “little Las Vegas”. The room was full of blackjack tables, roulette, a craps table, and a bunch of eager students/faculty earning chips to put towards a raffle drawing.

Each person was given a cup full of colored chips and could earn black chips while playing different games. For every five regular chips, a person was given one raffle ticket. For every black chip, a person was given four raffle tickets. The casino opened up at 6p.m. and students/faculty could play until 8:30p.m. before they had to put their raffle tickets in which ever gifts they were trying to win. Some of the prizes that were available included: 20 oz. Yeti Bottle, 30 oz. Yeti Bottle, $50 gift card to Bass Pro Shops, and a $50 gift card to Texas Roadhouse.

Just as in Las Vegas, not everyone came out with a prize but everyone had a great time. There were small competitions for “table pride” between each table on which table could win the most prizes. Although there was no announced winner, every dealer at every table was proud that at least one person from their table took home a prize.