On December 5th there will be two Christmas events held in Texarkana. The KCS Holiday Express Train (KCS) and The Texarkana Christmas Parade (TCP). If interested in attending both events the time to plan is now. With Thanksgiving out the way the official countdown until Christmas has started.

  The KCS started in 2001 and has been coming to Texarkana for over 19 years. This will be the first time the train has run since the pandemic in 2020. Each year the train stops in 5 to 6 states and over 20 communities. With Ashdown, AR being the closes stop to Texarkana. Guests will have to be shuttled from Texas High Stadium to the train’s location. The event is from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. “I’m so excited to go to the KCS Train this year to meet Santa.” Said 7 year old Ashley Holliverse. The front of the train resembles Thomas The Train and is equipped with lights and Christmas decor.

The TCP is always held on the first Monday in December each year. Citizens will experience Live Camels, Custom Floats, High Schools Bands and more. A winner is chosen for the most creative float. The route will start at Broad Street at 7pm and will end at Stateline Avenue. There will also be bars and restaurants open downtown with more live entertainment.

Each year the KCS looks for volunteers within the communities to come out and help. For more information about this event check out kcsouthern.com. To become a sponsor for the TCP forms can be found on mainstreettexarkana.org. 

Sometimes coffee is just not enough. Sometimes you need a little something extra in order to finish that final that is due in a few hours. Energy drinks. They are the drinks that will help you solve only some of your problems. 

I am a big energy drink person. I drink them at least three times a week, or more. With that being said I am aware that they can cause major health problems, but I like to think that I monitor my intake very well. Over time, I have tried a variety of different energy drinks of which I have my favorite, the ones that I hate, or the ones I simply avoid. These are only some of the drinks that I have tried throughout my life and I have ranked them from worst to best. 

BANG 

I have only had this drink once, and I did not enjoy it at all. I tried it a long time ago and don’t remember what flavor I had, but I remember it being too sweet for my liking. I also felt like the drink really did bang me in the stomach because I did not feel good after drinking only about a fourth of it. Overall it was just a bad experience that I would not want to relive ever again.  0 out of 5. 

Rockstar 

This is a drink that I do not have that often nor do I know many of the flavors. However, from the ones that I have tried, I fairly enjoyed them. It is not ranked higher because I don’t drink it as often as the others, and it is also one that I don’t tend to see much of. It is good, but not very memorable.  2 out of 5. 

Monster 

Monster is in the middle because of the number of flavors that it has. While I am not a big fan of the classic green flavor, I am a fan of some of their other flavors such as the White Zero Ultra and their Juice flavors, Papillon and Mango Loco. Having lots of flavors is a good thing and a bad thing. It is a good thing because I get bored of drinking the same thing all of the time, but it is bad because I have no money and there are too many flavors. 3 out of 5. 

Alani NU

Alani NU is a drink that I recently discovered, and I was pretty shocked to see the number of flavors that the brand has. I was even more surprised to realize that I enjoyed almost every flavor; keyword almost. While flavors like Cosmic Stardust and Breezeberry have become my favorites of mine, other flavors like Cherry Slush and Blue Slush are a bit too sweet for my liking. 4 out of 5. 

Redbull 

This is my favorite. I don’t have a specific reason, I just love it. This is my go-to drink when I am extra sleep-deprived, which is very often, and I think that it does not try to overwhelm you with the number of flavors. I love the classic Redbull, but the watermelon and peach editions are a good way to add flavor. This is a drink that is either loved or hated, and I love it. 5 out of 5. 

All of these drinks affect people differently, so it is important to be aware that just because one does not affect you that does not mean that the others will not. I do not recommend drinking more than one a day, nor do I recommend drinking them before, or after, any other overly caffeinated drinks. This is also my personal opinion. Drink at your own risk, and remember to drink water.

The smell of freshly made home cooked food, the sweet sound of family members arguing over politics and day to day life, football playing in the background as all chaos ensues in the household. This is the Thanksgiving most of us have come to know and love year in and year out, with every one having a slightly different spin and tradition than other families. But for some students at Texas A&M University Texarkana (TAMUT), the convenience of a trip home isn’t always so easy or practical.

Most international students see themselves spending their thanksgivings in the Bringle Lake Village dorms on campus. Either distance, cost, or both are the cause for them not departing for their families back home. Diego Saldana, an international student from Coahuila, Mexico is one of the many that stayed over the break.

“The Situation I had with the food was that I had to go and buy what I needed for 3 days.” commented Saldana. To some of us, this would be a major inconvenience on a holiday where you show up expecting everything to be already laid out and ready to eat, but not for Diego. “I liked the experience, because I had to cook things for myself, and I could eat what I wanted, but it does get a bit complicated because there is only one kitchen in the dorms, and many residents wanted to cook at the same time,” said Saldana.

Thanksgiving, as the name suggests, is a time to give thanks and for families to gather and catch up with one another in their day to day lives. With the mass exodus of students with a reasonable drive from the dorms, this leaves the international students having to pool themselves together and create as much of a “family” atmosphere as they can. Saldana says “In the daily living it is very different than when all the students are here. The university is empty and there are very few people.” He did say that he and a few of the other students did in fact get together however, “I was lucky that several of my friends stayed and I was able to hang out with more people. If I had been alone, I would have had a bad time since there is nothing to do.”

The experience is not a bad one as described by Saldana, it is just different compared to what we know as a ‘normal’ Thanksgiving. At the end of the day though, the important thing is that even though you throw together a bunch of international students, from several different countries, ethnicities and beliefs, they still find ways to come together and give thanks, the same way you would with your family at the dinner table.

             Transformative Text is taking over TAMUT with a different staff or faculty member every week bringing forth any form of text that has shaped their own perspective. Dr. Drew Morton, Professor of Mass Communication looked beyond just a book and delivered a new approach and brought in the 1998 film “Out of Sight.” Morton says, “this is one of the first movies where I started thinking less about plot and more about narrative.” He broke down the structural makeup of the film.

            Dr. Morton compared the film layout of “Out of Sight” to other movies he is fascinated by like “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction” all written by Quentin Tarantino. He elaborates on how the use of flashbacks delivered a unique understanding about the characters in the film and why the power narration stood out.

First, looking into the narrative side of the film, during the lecture Morton showed a scene where conversation made everything a thousand times better. Picture a beautiful cop (Jennifer Lopez) and charming jailbird (George Clooney) stuck in the trunk of a car together. With tension of discomfort high, there is also a sense of sexual desire on the rise. Morton says, “they kind of have this icy relationship at first where she’s kind of teasing him but then they start to get more warmer.” Their conversations began to sound like they’ve known each other for years and the scene does a great job giving that feeling from cop and criminal to the love connection.

Dr. Morton continued to break down the film’s layout with one of the best scenes! We see a Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney character sitting down enjoying each other’s company over a drink. At this point they know they need each other like a car needs gas. The soft music, snow falling in the background, and abstract lighting all created this mood of sexiness with an old “Hollywood approach.” But it was done to the point of not overdoing it for the audience. As the time come to hit it off the director takes a different turn using subtle flashbacks. Throughout the flashback there are freeze frame moments where “the filmmaker uses that as a marker to constantly tell you this is not in the correct order but at a different moments in time,” Dr. Morton says. The director takes each physical touch and eye contact given as a moment to cut back and forth from the past to present.

So now it has to be understood that the timeline is caught up at this point. Morton explains it as a “Double Indemnity” where the resolution is exposed in the end and everything else is a flashback but in this film half is a flashback and the end is unknown! “Then you kind of care a lot more about these characters coming into that moment,” Dr. Morton said. But since the conversation between the two was so smooth in the scene and the amount of confidence they gave led up to in Dr. Morton words “the sexiest scene I’ve ever seen in a movie,” and yet it doesn’t hardly show anything!

You graduated high school then went to college because that’s supposed to be the next step you take, you weren’t sure what to major in so you majored in business. Now, four years have came and gone and you’re wondering what’s next. At the time, taking a broad degree seemed like the right thing to do, but now you’re overwhelmed by the choices. Here is a few specific options to consider:
Human Resources
• Manage employee life cycle
This is the hiring and firing aspect. HR will help with recruiting then setting up interviews with potential employees. After an employee is hired HR is in charge of onboarding the new employee and making sure that all the required documents are provided and paperwork is filled out.
• Process payroll
A computer will most likely be used to process payroll however, math will be a required skill. This is vital and needs to be exact as this is the reason employees come to work. HR is also in charge of processing bonuses and expenses.
• Conduct disciplinary actions
If you are being harassed or mistreated at work, this is the people you call. They are in charge of handling and recovering a situation. Anytime an employee is written up it should go through HR. They also need to be let known when an employee is fired or they will be the people doing the firing.
Entrepreneur
• Create a business
You decide you want to be your own boss and go on a business venture of creating your own business. There are a lot of options to consider when starting this venture like: size, product, location, etc.
• Create business marketing plan
It is very important to have a plan. Get with someone who has experience in this field and be okay with the fact that majority of new businesses wont make any profit in their first year. You will need to know about all of the legalities involved in a start up.
Accountant
• Money management
Think bookkeeping then delve deeper. This position is needed for any business. You look at how company money is being spent vs how much is being earned. You will be in charge of reporting balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.
• Auditor
There are many different types of accountants. One being an auditor. An auditor is in charge of assessing the financial operations within a business and making sure that everything is being done in a legal and appropriate manner.
• Tax accountant
Tax accountants deal with taxes, making sure that they are being properly reported by a business. They work closely with payroll providers to ensure everything is being done to a legal standard and that no mistakes are made. During tax off season they might do things like perform audits, offer advice on investments, develop financial plans, or help with asset management.
Those are just a few specific options out there for you to alleviate a little bit of the stress on this new and exciting journey. Remember: its okay to change careers and start over. Do what makes you happy and what fits your lifestyle needs.

Picture this: it’s 6 am, that blaring alarm beep goes off for the last time. Today is graduation day. After a long 13 years years you’re finally done. Except you’re not. Now you have four years in college to look forward to. Look forward to? What’s there to look forward to? It just seems like another four years of sitting in a classroom, taking notes and doing homework.
So, you start college and enjoy it, you meet a lot of new people, learn a lot of new things and time flies. You learn to love it and learn that it is more than just homework and notes. Now, you have three weeks left. Whats next? 17 years spent in school to get a piece of paper. In reality it is not just a piece of paper. This paper opens door after door for you. It is a symbol of all of the long hours and hard work you’ve put in. You are now able to say “I did it.”
What are you supposed to do when you’re done? Do you need to jump right into a career? Travel? Take a break? There is no right answer, do whatever you feel you need to do. There is no set timeline as to where you’re “supposed” to be. Graduation can be so rewarding but yet so stressful. I reached out to some former college graduates for some advice to help with the stress and this is what they said:
“Things will happen at their own pace. The opportunities meant for you wont pass you! And if an opportunity comes up you don’t feel ready for, that opportunity wouldn’t be in front of you if you weren’t ready,” said Tiana Lang.
“In my experience even though you feel like you don’t know what you are doing, when the time comes to need to know it, it will all come to you,” said Hayley Taylor.
“You won’t ever know the outcome unless you try. Always go for what you feel you deserve. The worst someone could say is no. All it takes is one yes,” said Angelica Mantey.
“Don’t stay stuck at a job you end up hating just because at one point you thought it was your dream job. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it anymore. Your dream job may change more than once an that’s okay. And don’t ever take advice from someone who benefits from you staying where you are if you’re unhappy,” said Ashley Akin.
“The very thing they’re putting you down for, is the very thing you should be doing,” said Lacey Oltman.
“Get out of your comfort zone and do things that scare you. Most often the scary steps are the best ones to take. Apple for all of the jobs – even if you’re under qualified, even if its something you’ve never done before. If you’re interested in it just apply because I promise you there’s ten other people that aren’t qualified either who are applying. Your personality might just outshine the rest and every job is trainable. Being friendly and like-able is key. Market yourself wisely. Carry yourself well and are new friends everywhere you go. Connections will get you further in life than education, experience, or skill ever will,” said Taylor Hall.
So with all of this I say put yourself out there and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Life will look different but then you will find where you’re comfortable. Keep pushing, you’re almost there!

Imagine waking up in the morning smelling the aroma of breakfast being prepared at your grandmothers and as you run downstairs a flood of joy instantly fills you. Drake and 21 Savage has created that very feeling, they have served us a breakfast for champions, and we are them.

Diving right into it, “Rich Flex” had no choice but to be the opening song on the album. Instantly your eyes widen as the tempo of the angel’s harmony rises and just when you start to feel you body lifting…the beat disrupts everything. And now your rocking back and forth viciously for the next three mins. Or “Major Distribution” that enters with a soft piano creating the feeling of love at first site, putting you in a daydream but for only 30 seconds then shakes you out our sleep with a thunderous beat that feel like a kiss from your crush. Even sampling the hit 90s song “Give Me Your Lov’n” by B.G.O.T.I. in “Spin Bout U” gave me the feeling of riding in a 1980 Monte Carlo but after mixing in the wave of their new school music changed that old engine into a V8 inside. If you like albums that provoke different feelings and emotions “Her Loss” is just for you.

Taking it back to 2018 with his “Scorpion” album. If you knew that Drake then with the diversity he had during that time, having not only his normal love flow over a sorrow beat, but his jock charisma as well. Then the Drake now is the 2.0 version of that. His last album “Honestly, Never mind” made me feel as if he held back the icing on a cupcake, his name being the cupcake and the album being the icing. But after this was released, I see why he held back and just brutally dumped the whole tub on one cupcake!

“Her Loss” could have easily been another Drake solo album but adding 21 Savages drill rap style and Atlanta demeanor, they turned a horse in a stallion. The energy they both bring to that table has turned out to be one of the best duos of our time. With 21 Savage wearing the tough lifestyle on his shoulders, Drake not just as an artist but as a producer took 21 words that could possibly seem menacing to others and twisted into something casual and loving. Like in my favorite song on the album “Hours in Silence” he says, “I got a 30 on my waist, cause a lotta broke n***** ‘round the way’ ‘round town and they lookin’ for my face.” Just by reading instant thought he saying he need to keep his gun on him cause people will kill for money but when you listen, you will hear how he effortlessly support the negative content in what he saying by calmly singing the verse over a beat with high enthusiasm.

But the album is not a “no skip,” like his album “Nothing Was The Same” released back in 2013. Each song on that album delivered the homework that was due, not one song could be skipped and not one song gave me the feeling to call my girl and let her know I was coming home. “Her Loss” has a couple hit or miss songs like “Circo Loco” or “Broke Boys.” These songs hang at the bottom of the totem pole simply cause when they first got played I did not get stuck, my head did not tell my finger to wait but 14/16 is still a A!

If you look the title of the album is called “Her Loss” but what I like so much about this album is that it contradicts with some of the songs on it. You would think it would have songs about guys don’t need women, they need us, we all superior! But “Spin Bout U” presses the idea that I’ll do anything for my girl. Same in “Treacherous Twins” the two specifically say “you my treacherous lil’ twin, and you know that we locked in, and I love you.” Interesting right? Going in the album you have that one thought, but it will continue to change, “man is it her loss or…my loss?

“[In] the shows that I perform at, I want there to be a sense of community and for people to come together, and for us together create a sense of culture in Texarkana,” Hunter Clark said.  “That is the biggest thing I want to produce here.”

Hunter Clark, also known as The Poet of Texarkana, is a local musician who plays at a few different venues around Texarkana such as Hopkins Icehouse and Alley Cats Coffee Bar. Clark primarily performs his songs in the company of his guitar. His music covers a variety of different topics. However, most of his music is written through emotion. 

“I like writing based on emotion because it is something that everyone can relate to,” Clark said. “A lot of the time I do write from emotion, but also I like writing for situations In time. 

Clark strives to create music that people can relate to, while also creating a space where people are free to express their creativity. Being free to be creative is an important part of Clark’s writing and performing process. 

“Personally, I see other people have already done that and I would rather do my own thing and be creative and do my [music] well, instead of doing other people’s music great,” said Clark when talking about the reason he prefers to perform his music rather than covers.  

While performing on a big stage is something he hopes for, Clark is content with simply creating an environment where people feel enough freedom to be themselves. He also prioritizes writing the type of music that he feels people will be able to connect with in some ways. 

“I want to be able to write music that’s relatable to people and I want them to be able to feel like they’re part of something,” said Clark. 

Parking is usually an after thought on the minds of most college students living at dorms across the United States. However here at Texas A&M University Texarkana(TAMUT), it has started to become a problem as the university continues to grow. Some students have voiced their opinions about the matter, and hope for resolve in the near future.

“I believe there is more than enough space here to add more parking,” commented freshman baseball player Matthew Delaney when asked on the matter. “I think when you really come down to it, it’s not the end of the world to walk a few more steps to the front door, but when I am paying for parking, I would like to be guaranteed a spot in the paved parking lot, rather than have to park in a dirt field.” Delaney’s remarks have been reciprocated by other students over the years, but this year more than any, it has seemed to be a real problem.

The biggest problem for Bringle Lake Village(BLV) residents comes during sporting events. “Every time there is a soccer game or Volleyball game here, and I get back from practice, I end up parking halfway down the dirt field behind the soccer field because there is nowhere else to park,” Comments freshman Alec Hirneise. Hirneise, who is also a baseball player at the school, felt a similar sentiment to Delaney, that it is not the end of the world for students, but it is an inconvenience. “It’s not just the lack of parking spots either, it’s the lack of care for our vehicles in the parking lots we have now,” said Hirneise, referring to dinks and fender benders that happen on a weekly basis.

Cross Country runner Nathan Rubio also had comments to make on the safety of vehicles in the existing parking lots. “The cameras we have don’t catch the accidents that happen,” Rubio said. He and Hirneise have both had minor damage done to their cars and have gotten no use from the video cameras on who might have caused the damage. Hopefully the University has plans to fix the parking situation for the students in the near future.