1000 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(03/17/14 6:15pm)
The official start of spring is Thursday, March 20, but the state of Alabama rarely follows regular seasonal weather patterns. We are all too familiar with a pleasant 70-degree week followed immediately by the threat of an ice storm.
But since we are on the brink of spring, it might finally, thankfully, be time to ready our wardrobes for warmer weather.
So, while it's technically winter for another few weeks, it's time to pack away tights, coats, chunky scarves, sweaters and boots to save for next fall.
Airy fabrics, bright colors and loose layers will be the keys in your wardrobe to transition from winter to spring.
When putting together this issue, I wanted to give readers something they couldn't get anywhere else. That means you won't find news from the runway, but instead fashion as it pertains to Auburn University and its students.
Style coverage is often geared toward women, but we didn't want to leave the guys out. Becky Sheehan tapped some of Auburn's most stylish men, including one who interned at Alexander Wang in New York City, to give to tips on how to dress your best.
Also on the topic of interning in NYC, Amber Franklin talked to three Auburn apparel design students who are or will be interning the big city at designers Oscar de la Renta, Nicole Miller and Theory.
Online shopping and e-commerce have become a huge business over the last decade. It's changed the way we shop. Anna Claire Conrad examines how local stores have kept up with online shops by amping up social media presence.
To showcase a few ways to transition your wardrobe into spring weather, we teamed up with downtown boutique Behind the Glass and headed to the Overall Company for a photo shoot. A special thanks goes out to the Behind the Glass team who modeled, styled and took photos for shoot.
If you're looking for more style inspiration, look no further than the university campus. Photographers Emily Enfinger, Sarah May and Raye May went around and took pictures of student style on the street and asked about personal style essentials.
But for every guy or gal who is dressed up for class, there's a handful of girls who are wearing oversized T-shirts and leggings. I've examined why college girls, with closets full of nice clothes, decide to dress down for class.
This issue is no definitive guide to navigating the spring season in style, but I hope it's served it's purpose: to inspire and motivate personal expression through fashionable choices.
(03/07/14 6:15pm)
With singing competitions like "American Idol" and "The Voice" sweeping the nation, it's no surprise Auburn cashed in on the craze with Eagle Eye TV's "Auburn Sings," Auburn University's first televised singing contest.
The show's process begins with singing auditions for any full-time Auburn student who wants to participate and is open to singles, duets and groups.
The top 10 contestants from the auditions are then chosen to perform weekly for a panel of three judges. The contestants compete for a six-week period, and two contestants are eliminated each week until there is a winner.
"The winner who gets the most votes, that's done through Facebook, gets to record their own demo CD with WEGL 91.1 in their recording studio," said Shannon Smith, junior in broadcast journalism and co-producer of "Auburn Sings." "We do actually have a lot of the people here who want to go into music professionally, so it's a really good outlet for them to get criticism from our judges and from their viewers online."
According to Smith, this year's top 10 contestants were all single performers picked out of a couple dozen auditions. Each contestant has his or her own vocal style, and a few also sing while playing an instrument.
Evvie Walker, sophomore in public relations and top 10 contestant, said she did a lot with singing in high school, but didn't know of anything she could do to pursue it once she got to college.
Walker found out about the competition through Facebook and decided she wanted to give it a try.
"I've never done a competition where people are judging me," Walker said. "I've always done performances at schools or plays, but this is people critiquing me, which I really like because I would like to know what I can do better with my singing, even if it's nothing that's really serious."
A new aspect to the show this season is themed weeks instead of letting the contestant choose any song. The themes include contestant's choice, songs from 2013, song from the year you were born and judge's choice.
According to Smith, the show's first episode, which premiered Feb. 20, received views in over 50 countries.
Matt Barnes, senior in radio, television and film and "Auburn Sings" judge, said he didn't expect the show to spread to such a wide range of people.
"I really think it's a beautiful thing just showing people the talent and having everyone around the world appreciate the talent here in our small town," Barnes said.
Barnes said he hopes the group of contestants will listen to the constructive criticism he and the other judges have to offer.
"Everyone can get better, and everyone has something to work on," Barnes said. "Always want to grow as a musician, as a singer and as a performer."
"Auburn Sings" airs on campus every Thursday on channel 6.1, and the episode is also uploaded to its Facebook page.
The results show is the following Sunday. Viewers can stay up-to-date with the competition through "Auburn Sings'" Facebook and Twitter pages.
(03/07/14 5:00pm)
Twenty five beautiful women living in the same house and competing for the same guy seems to be an ideal way to find love, right?
ABC's "The Bachelor" has been a guilty pleasure of mine for years.
It's hard to say exactly what makes the show so entertaining. I think for the most part, the audience is more fascinated with the drama and competition more than the hope of two people finding love and living happily ever after.
Let's face it. The show's concept is unrealistic and the relationships hardly ever work out after the proposal, yet millions of viewers still tune in every week. Myself included.
The most recent season, featuring Juan Pablo Galavis, was probably the most real and intriguing so far.
Most of the credit can go to former frontrunner and fan favorite, Andi
Dorfman.
Galavis and Dorfman had a strong connection from the beginning, but after the two had their night together in the "fantasy suite," their relationship quickly went sour.
It's rare for a contestant to walk out on the Bachelor,.
But Dorfman suddenly decided that she was over Galavis.
She realized Galavis was more into himself than her.
According to Dorfman, their conversations only consisted of surface level topics and Galavis seemed uninterested in getting into deeper discussions about life.
The funny thing is, Galavis seemed to feel that the over-night date went well, but Dorfman couldn't wait to get out of the suite.
She waited until after their night together to tell him how she felt.
"I just never honestly feel like you were trying to get to know me," Dorfman told Galavis on the show. "Do you have any idea what religion I practice? What my political views are? ... Things that matter. Do you have any idea about how I want to raise my kids? Do you have any idea about any of that?"
He didn't.
In the suite, Galavis also discussed his "fantasy suite" date with another woman and implied that Dorfman only made it that far by default.
Dorfman was offended by his comments, as anyone should be, and decided Galavis was rude, arrogant and inappropriate.
I'm sure all who tuned in were appalled to hear some of the things he chose to bring up to her.
Galavis seemed to have an excuse for everything he said that caused controversy throughout the season.
He would say he was just being honest, that there was a language barrier, that words were put into his mouth--blah, blah, blah.
Dorfman didn't seem to buy it.
As long as I have watched the show, I've noticed that these deep, meaningful subjects hardly seem to be addressed.
I think it's because contestants on the show seem to be so caught up in the fantasy of finding love in exotic locations, and they lose sight of real life.
It's refreshing to see a contestant get her head out of the clouds and stop trying to force feelings that aren't there just for a TV show.
(03/06/14 6:00pm)
The light at the end of the tunnel is finally here--Spring Break. After a tumultuous beginning of the semester with multiple snow days, this semester has been chaotic. Classes have rearranged and tests have been moved off track.
Some classes have even had to reschedule to Saturdays. The break is finally here, and students are going all over the globe to take advantage of their week of freedom.
One option students had was to apply for an Alternative Student Break through Auburn University. They had options to go internationally or domestically.
One of the trips is going to Disney World with the program Give Kids the World. Students will be working with children with life-threatening illnesses or disabilities.
"It's basically an opportunity for terminally ill and some disabled kids to come and have a paid trip to Disney," said Allison McKinley, president of Alternative Student Breaks and senior in nutrition. "Our volunteers go and [. . .] help out with their entertainment and really kind of just make the week about them, and they volunteer their time just to make that Disney week for them just as normal as any other kid."
McKinley said more than 80 students applied for the trip, but only eight were chosen. Another trip Alternative Student Breaks provides goes to New Jersey to help with disaster relief for Hurricane Sandy.
The program is through the Fuller Center for Housing and will be benefiting the Tabernacle community.
Other students are leaving the country to explore new areas. Cassie Rawles, junior in economics, is going to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for spring break. Rawles is staying at a friend's house with approximately 20 of her friends.
"We fly into Cabo San Jose and then take a shuttle," Rawles said. "I think we're going zip lining one day, and then [. . .] we might take a boat out."
Rawles said she has never been to Cabo San Lucas before, and she is most excited about relaxing in the sun and having nothing to do. Rawles and her friends are staying in Montecristo Estates, which is a part of Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach.
Another group of students are going abroad through Campus Crusades, to Managua, Nicaragua.
Allison Childress, junior in public relations, has been going to Campus Crusades since freshman year. Childress heard about the trip from previous years and decided to sign up.
Childress said the group will stay at a Chosen Children Ministries camp. Each day, they will split their group up into different teams to work in different areas doing door-to-door evangelism, bible school with the children, or building houses and working construction.
"It's all in the same area, but your job might change each day," Childress said. Childress said she's excited to meet the people going on the trip with her. "I haven't been on a mission trip, like an international mission trip, since my freshman year of high school," Childress said. "This isn't something I do all the time, so I'm just excited to see like where it may lead and who all I'm going to meet, and [. . .] the relationships that I'm going to develop."
(03/05/14 5:45pm)
The most stable career paths in theatre and film are often behind the scenes. From design and production to company management and promotion, it takes a team of talented individuals to get a show up and running.
For 2011 theatre graduate, Fred T. Paul, studying theatre production management at Auburn prepared him in many ways for his job at Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Md.
While at Auburn, Paul served as a stage manager and assistant stage manager for several shows.
Paul said one of the most memorable productions was "Little Shop of Horrors," where he was frequently a stand-in during rehearsals.
"'Little Shop' was fun," Paul said, laughing. "I had to learn all the choreography, including the Ronettes' dances, because someone was sick every night."
As an associate production manager, Paul books artists' travel, contracts designers and directors and coordinates production meetings for the Olney Theatre Center.
Paul said the friendships he made as a student have led to job opportunities in the theatre.
"This field is all about networking," Paul said. "Make friends. Talk to people. The people you work with now will like you and promote you."
Stewart Ives graduated from Auburn in 2010 with a degree in theatre design and technology. As a student, Ives also worked on productions as a sound or lighting designer. Most recently, Ives was a guest sound designer for "9 to 5: The Musical."
Ives reflected on lessons he picked up while working with former Auburn University Theatre technical director Pip Gordon.
"She was a really good instructor who taught me how to resolve problems and that it's really important to know how to talk to people, to understand and communicate," Ives said.
After working at Center Stage as multimedia coordinator for a couple years, Ives accepted a position as technical specialist for Activate the Space, a visual technology company in Baltimore, Md.
"I really miss theatre," Ives said. "Theatre's more of a challenge. It's a lot of collaboration on a grand scale and trying to figure out what someone is thinking when they give you a note."
At Center Stage, Ives worked with casts of talented actors from on-and-off Broadway.
Center Stage produces up to seven plays and musicals annually, and Ives said he enjoyed the fast-paced, changing environment of professional theatre.
Another Auburn theatre design and technology alumnus is Drew Holden.
Holden works for Atlanta Rigging Systems, an entertainment rigging company serving the touring, film and corporate event industry, where he designs structures that support sets for film and television.
In Atlanta, Holden has been part of production teams for "Anchor Man 2," "Family Feud," "The Fast and the Furious" franchise, and "X-Men: First Class," among others. Last year, he toured with the Zac Brown Band as a tour rigger and automation technician.
Besides design and construction, Holden learned leadership skills while studying and working at the Auburn theatre department.
"I definitely learned how to manage people and manage myself around people, various personalities and how they mix," Holden said.
Holden explained that the Atlanta film market is strong for those looking for jobs in production, event planning and entertainment.
Like Ives, Holden misses aspects of working in a theatre environment.
"Occasionally [rigging] involves some artistic element, but more often than not, I am supporting someone else's work," Holden said. "Whether that's providing a truss hanging from motors to support lighting, or a massive ground supported truss structure to support backings for film, or designing support structures for six-sided video gears."
In his free time, Holden said he is exploring outlets to express his creativity with dancers, acrobats, circus performers and other designers in Atlanta.
"Right now I'm using my job as an opportunity to support side projects," Holden said. "I'm getting back into some performance like Lyra and aerial work."
Paul, Ives and Holden promoted networking, communication and creativity as some tools for success in a production career.
For graduates in technical theatre, prospects appear to be boundless.
(03/05/14 2:00pm)
On Saturday morning, Oct. 24, 1994, fourth grader Earnest Webb was playing backyard football when he felt extreme thirst and exhaustion.
The 8-year-old went inside, drank two Pepsi's and then slept for six hours. When he awoke at 7 p.m., shaking and ashen-lipped, his parents rushed him to the emergency room where he slipped into a diabetic coma.
Webb remembered waking up attached to tubes and wires. A nurse gave him a painful shot in the stomach--his first dose of insulin.
After receiving his diagnosis, Webb did not fully understand his condition.
"I was craving an orange soda the whole time during the ER," Webb said. "They gave me a Diet Minute Maid Orange, and I'm lookin' like, 'What is a Diet Minute Maid Orange? I want a real orange soda. This is a nasty, nasty soda.'"
Webb, senior in physical activity and health, laughed about his youthful ignorance about Type 1 diabetes.
However, Webb said he wasn't discouraged, even while his siblings enjoyed their Halloween candy the day after coming home from the hospital.
"I said, 'Lord, whatever you have for me I'm going to take it,' and I just went with it," said Webb.
Webb grew up as the fifth child in a family of eight, in the neighborhood of East Park in Auburn. He was the first of his family to attend college and works as an assistant basketball coach at Auburn High School and an assistant football coach at Lanett High School.
Webb also works as a corrections officer at the Lee County Youth Development Center (LCYDC).
When he was a freshman in high school, Webb hit a rebellious streak that put his health at risk.
"When I turned 13 or 14, I started eating whatever I wanted, and I quit pricking my finger," Webb said. "Ninth grade came, and I got kind of crazy, going down the wrong path--smoking, drinking, didn't listen, didn't care."
Coach Frank Tolbert recruited the ninth-grade Webb to be the manager of Auburn High School's basketball team.
At first, Webb was intimidated by Tolbert's disciplined style of coaching and tough love.
"He brought me to his office and said, 'Hey, you need to change,'" Webb said. "He chewed me out. He blistered me, and he blistered me, and he blistered me, and I changed."
Tolbert encouraged Webb to take the Alabama High School Graduation Exam and to continue pursuing his goals through college.
Tolbert held Webb accountable for his mistakes and taught him to be disciplined in taking his insulin and healthy eating.
"Earnest really wants to be a coach," Tolbert said. "The kind of person he is, you don't find those very often--nowadays, you can't find those kinds of kids."
After many years coaching together, Tolbert said Webb is like a son to him.
"He not only saw potential in me, but saw how I could benefit from this community and also benefit the people around this community," Webb said.
The principles he learned from Tolbert carried over to helping troubled youth at the LCYDC as a corrections officer.
Webb said he passes time getting to know the children by playing cards and other games.
"It's been an inspiration," Webb said. "We have kids there now who just don't understand, but if I keep putting some good seed in them, speaking God over them, praying for them, eventually some good has to come out of this."
Webb teaches the children and teens at the LCYDC about the power of perseverance. Webb said he believes the older teenagers must make a choice in changing their behavior when they arrive which determines whether or not they will return to a detention facility for the rest of their lives.
According to Webb, the most fulfilling part of his job at the LCYDC is seeing the teens succeed after leaving the facility.
"It's amazing just to see them say, 'I'm never going back there. You taught me a lot,'" Webb said. "That's what makes my job what it is. That's what makes me proud. That's what makes me happy. If I just see one say, 'Hey, I changed for the better,' [then] I've done my job."
Laura Cooper, executive director of the LCYDC, is another long-time friend and supporter of Webb.
"Our life experiences really inform us, and I've seen some people that were propelled by what they saw to be a difference-maker and some that have succumbed to it," Cooper said. "The fact that he didn't succumb to the circumstances that he was around, that he transcended them--I think that makes him want to have other children transcend those circumstances."
Cooper explained that there are real challenges facing children in some areas of Auburn.
Cooper said the best thing an adult can do for troubled youth is to show that they care, and Webb has consistently gotten on a personal level with the children in the LCYDC and invested in their success.
"There are lots of heroes among us, and we certainly read about our gridiron heroes and our basketball heroes and all those people are noteworthy, as well," Cooper said. "However, I think the real heroes are those that are doing things behind the scenes and doing things to quietly change the world, one child or one circumstance at a time, and I think Earnest is one of those people."
As a student, Webb said he feels a true sense of family at the University.
Auburn Tigers running back, Corey Grant, played against Webb's Auburn High basketball team for Opelika, but the two became friends in college.
"It is a rivalry there, but we're still friends because of the University," Grant said. "He loves working with the kids and is always trying to help change some lives."
Webb said he plans to coach at the high school or college level after graduating and, ultimately, he wants to give back to the Auburn community.
Webb acknowledged teachers, coaches, family members and employers who continue to encourage him to achieve his goals.
"I think if you wanted to illustrate the word 'perseverance,' you'd put a picture of Earnest," Cooper said. "You can knock him down, but he won't be knocked out. You can bend him, but he won't break. In life, we all need to have that resilience."
(03/04/14 1:55pm)
There are countless apps that people can use to alter their photos, to make themselves look tanner, younger, or their food look more delicious. But what if that's not what a user wants? Now, there is an app with a different type of editing, that isn't purely meant to make something look different, but to create something new. With the Bazaart app, photoshop quality is no longer just for the professionals.
Bazaart allows users to get the next best thing with their app. Users can create art with a few taps of their fingers, and it's free. With Bazaart you start by choosing photos, taking photos, or adding texts.
Users can use their own photos, search a Bing web image, or they can use some from Bazaart's provided categories. They have photos under the categories of backgrounds, social networks, photography, fashion and home. Under backgrounds, users can choose from love, solids, gradients, patterns, paper or textures.
Under social media, they can connect with Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus, Flikr or Etsy. Photography includes abstract, animals, black and white, city and architecture, concert, family, film, food, still life, people and many others.
The fashion and home categories are unique because not only can users use the pictures for their collage, but it is also connected to Gilt Groupe's Fashion and Home Decor items. It shows users what website to go to in order to find the item, and how much the item costs.
The app also tells users when sales end on the item, and it gives a short description on what it is. Once users have selected all of the different photos, backgrounds, objects and writing they want to use. Then, comes the editing.
Users have the option to flip, copy and change the opacity of each image. If they want to change the shape of a photo, or just use a portion of the photo, they can use the cutout feature.
This can remove the background of the photo. This feature includes an option to select which part of the photo they want to keep, which part of the photo they want to remove, or auto, if they want the app to do it for them.
This part is surprisingly accurate, and is usually easier than doing it manually. Once the users are done, they can post it and choose a channel that they think it should go under.
These include photomontage, selfies, funny, celebs, animals, fashion, nature and holidays and events. This way, when people click on those sections, they may find the collage.
Bazaart Ltd. is an Israel-based start up company founded in 2012 by four entrepreneurs: Stas Goferman, Uri Kogan, Dror Yaffe and Gili Golander. The Bazaart app is available for free on the iPhone, iPad and in the App Store. Now, users can share not only just filtered photos with their friends, but also edited masterpieces that can be different every time.
Photoshop programs can be expensive, and although this app doesn't have all of the features a computer program would have, it meets basic photo editing needs.
(03/02/14 6:30pm)
When people are dancing in the audience, you know you've put on a good show.
The cast of Auburn University Theatre's "9 to 5: The Musical" beamed as the house lights came up to a standing ovation Feb. 21.
"9 to 5" follows three plucky female employees who take a stand against their slime ball of a boss, Franklin Hart, and challenge women's rights in the workplace. The energetic musical is based on the film starring Dolly Parton and features Parton's original music and lyrics.
Jake Heflin, junior in theatre, portrayed the heartless Hart and filled out a larger than life character audiences love to hate.
For Heflin, it was a stretch to play a "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot," as Hart is described by the musical's heroines, Violet, Judy and Doralee.
"He's special in his own villainous and rotten way," Heflin said. "I'm not that kind of person, so having to play the exact opposite of who you are is really harder than you'd think."
In the Act 1 show-stopping number, "Here For You," as Hart, Heflin oozes chauvinism as he gyrates on top of his desk, fearlessly laughable and surrounded by thrusting pinstriped male co-workers openly lusting after the bombshell Doralee, played by Daley Browning, junior in musical theatre.
Doralee, the "backwoods Barbie," takes on Hart's office harassment with a quick wit, a sharp tongue and a concealed weapon.
"It's a character I've never really played before," Browning said. "Being able to kind of let loose and be a little bit more wild and a little bit more sassy was a lot of fun."
Browning was at the top of her game and showed off her vocal chops in songs written for one of the most recognizable country music stars.
Auburn Theatre veteran Anna Claire Walker, senior in musical theatre, took the stage as Doralee's compatriot, Violet. The harried single mother of a teenage son, Violet has her sights set on a managerial position at the office.
With impressive comedic timing, Walker once again proved to be an invaluable member of the cast and an astute character actress.
"She's got a very dry humor and isn't afraid of standing up to Hart," Walker said.
According to Walker, the play uses comedy to approach issues of women's equality.
"It definitely unveils some questions that are still very relevant today," Walker said.
Rachel Pair, senior in musical theatre, filled out the trio as the simultaneously poignant and hilarious Judy.
Nursing a broken heart, Judy joins the staff of Consolidated Companies and is clearly in over her head before befriending Violet and Doralee.
Pair nailed the sugary-sweet depiction of Judy and clearly defined her transition into fierce independence with the power ballad, "Get Out and Stay Out."
"Every girl's been hurt before and it's kind of cool to have that redeeming story," Pair said.
Orchestrating much of the tech-heavy performance from behind the scenes was stage manager Taylor Dyleski, senior in theatre.
"It's something that can relate to everyone even if you've never worked in an office," Dyleski said. "The audience is cheering for someone."
One of Dyleski's responsibilities was coordinating a 46-second quick change of 22 actors.
"That's the kind of thing we had to think through from the very beginning," Dyleski said. "It was a long tech process but it all came together really well."
Dyleski spoke out for some of the unsung heroes of the production, including the male ensemble performers and theatre office administrator, Kimberly Ford.
The 24 student performers - many of whom had little or no dance experience - directed by Chase Bringardner, brought Dolly Parton's music and lyrics to life on a1970s office set.
Rolling desks, chairs and office equipment made way for Jeri Dickey's toe-tapping choreography. Projections lit up the bare walls on set to define time and place as designed by Matt Kizer.
Theatre costume designer Tracy Olenick showed impressive range from neutral, period-specific office wear to fantasy-scene, fairytale princess gowns.
The story swept along at a clip accompanied by a live orchestra. Lively and comedic, the theme of the story was not lost on the audience. Facts and figures printed in the program reminded patrons that women are paid approximately $12,000 less annually than men even today.
"Women still have to fight more to move up in rankings and the actors have portrayed that in a comical way," said Alyssa Armstrong, freshman in elementary education.
"9 to 5: The Musical" is a rallying cry for pencil pushers and underdogs everywhere.
The show is playing in the Telfair Peet Theatre until March 2.
(02/28/14 9:30pm)
Yik Yak, the newest social media app, has taken Auburn by storm over the past few weeks.
The mobile phone app gives users an anonymous live feed of what people are saying and doing around them without actually having to know them.
The app, which was created by two Furman University students in October 2013, requires no sign up, profile or password.
Yik Yak is completely community driven, with users creating all the content, which could be a major problem.
Yik Yak was created for the sole purpose of griping about things, people, places, classes or anything else on a college campus.
"[Yik Yak] has been mostly about fraternities and sororities and about individuals every now and then," said Rachel Tourne, a sophomore in pre-early childhood education. "I don't see anything positive coming from it, but I can also see why people would be so intrigued by it."
In its first three months, Yik Yak gained 100,000 users across five campuses, including the University of Georgia, Ole Miss, Clemson, the University of Virginia and Wake Forest, averaging nearly 15,000 messages each day.
The creators of Yik Yak meant the app to be used by college students only but have done little to prevent the spread into high schools and middle schools, causing a number of problems to arise.
The obvious problem with Yik Yak is that it provides an open forum for cyber bullying, which has been cited as the cause of many teen suicides in the U.S. and has little or no way of preventing such bullying.
The only bullying prevention tool the app contains is a two dislike and then disappear system, which still allows for people to view the post prior to it going away.
If a user posts something to Yik Yak and the post gains two dislikes then it automatically disappears but not before some users were able to see it.
The alternative way for a user to get a post removed would be by taking a snapshot of the Yik Yak the user wishes to be removed and emailing it to the Yik Yak team, which would then remove the post from the page.
With many reviews bashing Yik Yak and the immature forum it offers students, the Yik Yak founders ask that people give it time to develop, believing the longer a community is around the app, the more mature and constructive it becomes.
However, Dylan Powers, junior in industrial design, said he believes the app will disappear before the posts get better.
"When it comes down to it, I think the app will disappear in a month or so with the exception of the individuals who try to keep it going," Powers said. "Until then, I'd recommend deleting the app because from what I have seen, it cannot do anything positive for someone's life."
On Feb. 21, two minors in Mobile, a 14 and a 16 year old, were arrested for posting potential school shootings on the application and now face charges of terroristic threats, rendering the anonymous tag on the app a void one.
Yik Yak developers helped officials track down the school shooting users by releasing the cell phone information and tracking it to an address.
Anyone who considers using the Yik Yak app to make threats should realize authorities have the ability to pinpoint their location.
The app, which was originally created for use by college students, requires users verify they are over the age of 17 prior to downloading the app.
Although the app is community driven, Yik Yak could stand to make some changes to ensure the safety of high school student as well as college students is at the highest possible level. Until then, the Yik Yak guidelines will read:
"We rely on our communities to do the right thing. You have the power."
(02/27/14 6:45pm)
With a punch from Michael "The Machine" Phillips, blood poured from RC Hagans' broken nose into his black moustache.
Hagans didn't quit, though. It's not in his nature. He struggled on until the referee stopped the fight and the crowd at Sammy T's Music Hall in Huntsville rose to applaud both men.
For Opelika resident Hagans, 27, fighting isn't his true love; art is. However, the way Hagans works as a contemporary artist resembles a fighter more than a typical artist.
"I want to outwork everybody," Hagans said. "It's a competition thing. You see the work other street artists are doing, and you're like, 'I got to keep working.'"
That value of work ethic has been ingrained in Hagans since he was young. For this, Hagans credits two aspects of his life in particular: his father and wrestling.
Hagans said traveling with his father, a southern minister, to as many as eight services a week showed him the effort needed to succeed in life.
Wrestling, a sport Hagans began at age 8, taught him a similar lesson.
"Wrestling teaches you how to 100 percent devote yourself to something," Hagans said. "That's a big part of my work ethic."
As a restless 5-year-old in church, Hagans searched for a way to combat his desire to crawl under the pews, an action that resulted in a pinch from his mother. Then, one day, his friend showed him there were always pencils and envelopes at church, and if you unfolded the envelope, you had plenty of space to draw.
Drawing captivated Hagans, and the cheekiness of putting the envelopes back with drawings hidden inside for others to find amused him. However, it wasn't until high school that Hagans' passion for art blossomed. Under the guidance of Auburn High School art teacher, Joe Dyer, Hagans began to realize his passion for art while exploring every form of art he could.
"When I was at Auburn High School, the art budget went through the roof because [Dyer] would show me something, and I'd just work until there [were] no supplies left," Hagans said.
That desire to compulsively work remains with Hagans and motivates him to compete with the other artists.
"You look at the guys doing things on a worldwide scale and you're like, 'I need to put in some more hours today,'" Hagans said. "It's the ticking -clock mentality. You only have 80 years on this planet, so why not make the most radical thing you can every second of every day?"
Leather-work artist Michael Stricklin shares a studio with Hagans and witnesses his work ethic on a daily basis.
"He's an artist 100 percent of the time," Stricklin said. "He's the epitome of working hard and that's how you make things happen for yourself. You just keep doing it and don't quit and good things start to happen."
Hagans' goal is to leave a legacy people appreciate for years after he's gone. However, Hagans said he still has a lot work to do to get there.
"I don't think I have anything yet that's worth leaving behind, but I'm working my butt off," Hagans said. "I think eventually I'll step back and think, 'You know what, when I'm gone, this is going to be here,' and that's something I'm going to be proud for people to look at and say, 'That's RC Hagans.'"
Brad Guice, a family friend of the Hagans' and photographer in New York City, encouraged Hagans to commit to his passion for art.
"I saw that RC had that passion and I challenged him a few years ago to make it a career choice," Guice said. "He went away and did it on his own. He really just lives, breathes, sleeps and dreams art."
However, art didn't come easy to Hagans. He learned through hard work and believes anyone can do the same.
"Someone told me that if I want to be a good painter, I'd have to do 500 to 1,000 bad paintings first, and that's what stops most people from doing it," Hagans said. "Anyone can do what I do, you just have to put in the hours."
Hagans said he has failed many times on his path to being a successful artist, but that his failings have not discouraged him. Instead, he follows the mantra of Thomas Edison, who said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Hagans said he believes his hard work has only strengthened his passion for art and has allowed him to reach a level he wouldn't have achieved had he been a naturally-gifted artist.
"I feel like if you do something that you don't have to work for, it's a love you're willing to let go of and sweep under the carpet," Hagans said. "But if you have to labor for or fight for it every single day, then you'll make stuff that can be around forever."
Despite his interest in wrestling and mixed martial arts, Hagans is content with giving up fighting to focus on his art. However, every morning he is reminded of his encounter with "The Machine" as he looks in the mirror at his crooked nose, a permanent reminder that hard work and fighting will be what allows him to leave a lasting legacy.
RC Hagans' artwork can be seen on his website, www.rchagans.com.
(02/26/14 3:30pm)
Having your voice heard and making a difference in your community involves having a vision, determination and creating a plan of action.
Auburn student Dillon Nettles, junior in political science, did this when he helped found Students for Education Reform.
According to Nettles, SFER is an on-campus organization that focuses on bridging the education achievement gap throughout state and local schools such as Auburn High School and Loachapoka High School.
SFER has chapters in schools and communities across the nation.
Nettles, along with the help of Teach For America Campus Coordinator Caroline Hiskey, decided he wanted to plant a chapter at Auburn University after accepting the Rising Leaders Fellowship with Teach for America.
"Part of my fellowship was to actually develop a blueprint, and kind of enact some type of plan that could be carried out over the next year while I was completing the fellowship," Nettles said. "We realized that in Alabama we have no Students for Education Reform chapter anywhere, so it was something that we decided that we wanted to do and something that was really going to be helpful with me carrying out my fellowship."
The organization works to inform and engage Auburn students and people in the community about the issues, such as socio-economics and race, which currently exist within the state education system and are affecting students in different schools.
To discuss the current concerns within the system, SFER plans conferences and events that strive to educate others about the issues.
Since February is Black History Month, the organization recently partnered with the NAACP to co-host a meeting about how race plays a role in education.
Nicole Moneyham, junior in communication and director of programming for SFER, is in charge of making sure the group's bi-weekly meetings come together.
"We like to create programs and events that students can attend that are fun and sociable, but at the same time," Moneyham said. "We have been to many different conferences and have had several events and partnered with other organizations to raise money for other organizations. I think just seeing how far we've come for this being our first year as an organization is something to be proud of."
Nettles said SFER receives a lot of support from advisers in many different colleges and departments across campus, which helps the organization with their mission.
"We should really be taking advantage of our time here at Auburn since we have the resources provided to really carry through with the things that we're passionate about," Nettles said. "I know that a lot of young people feel like they're not really heard as much as the professionals, representatives and senators, but that's just simply not the case."
SFER adviser Brad Smith said being part of the organization also develops leadership skills and career preparedness.
"As aspiring teachers, many of which are pursuing the Teach For America program, SFER allows its members the opportunity to begin advocating for their students before they even reach the classroom," Smith said.
Students who are interested in getting involved with SFER can go to auburn.edu/auinvolve and search for Students for Education Reform, or go to its Facebook page.
(02/26/14 9:30pm)
Auburn University clinicians, dieticians and directors are all working together to help students who are suffering from eating disorders. They are using an app called Recovery Record to aid their treatment of the patients.
"Recovery Record allows them to track what they're eating, but also the thoughts that they're having [and] feelings that they're having," said Ann Marie DelSignore, senior staff clinician at the Auburn University Student Counseling Services and coordinator of the eating disorder treatment team.
The app provides a variety of services to the user. On the Recovery Record home page, there is a link to log thoughts, meals and feelings.
"For me, the most helpful part is the thoughts and the feelings that they're having that they record in relation to either their food or their body image, or whatever it might be," DelSignore said. "I really think that they prefer to use an app than to actually write down, you know, a paper journal."
Jessica-Lauren Newby, registered dietitian at Campus Recreation, said she uses Recovery Record to monitor food intake, thoughts, feelings and eating disorder behaviors in her eating disorder clients.
The app provides a charts section that highlights insights, trends and progress.
"The beauty of Recovery Record...is it allows tracking down and data collection from a providers perspective without the triggering effect of something like My Fitness Pal...or the other types of apps that are geared more toward weight loss and calorie counting," Newby said. "It was designed by an individual who lost a best friend to an eating disorder, and she wanted to provide something that individuals could use on a smart phone or device to aid in their recovery."
Newby said the app can help with any type of eating disorder, and it is designed with significant emphasis on positive reinforcement and motivation.
Part of the positive reinforcement aspect of the app is the rewards component, where users can collect puzzle pieces for logging meals and earn hidden rewards when they finish the puzzle.
A scrapbook feature enables users to save their favorite quotes, encouraging words, or images they find motivating.
"I think it's something that can be very helpful, especially in the beginning of a recovery when they are trying to really figure out what are my triggers, when do I do well with eating, when do I struggle and when do I need more accountability," Newby said. "It's really helped with reflecting and gathering data about yourself."
Users can log both their goals and goals set by clinicians.
They can also plan their meals with the meal planner and keep a list of coping tactics.
Psychologists and dieticians use the information from the app to learn when the patients are eating.
Then they relay the information to Suzanne Graham-Hooker, the assistant director of medical education at the Auburn University Medical Clinic.
"If there's something serious that goes on, like if the patient is having suicidal problems or if they're cutting, or if they're having things that need immediate adjustment before the time they come in for their appointments with me, then they will call me," Graham-Hooker said.
Users can also pair up with other users on the app anonymously to send each other messages of encouragement.
A helpline, initiated through Recovery Record, has professionals working the line if users want to call to talk.
"I think it's really important that if you do see yourself as someone who could benefit from the Recovery Record app, that it's also important that you link up with a physician and a dietician and a psychologist," Newby said.
Though she recommends the app, DelSignore said she might tell patients at a particular point, such as those excessively counting calories, not to use Recovery Road, as they would not benefit at that stage of their treatment.
(02/26/14 2:00pm)
Community and sustainability are certainly buzzwords these days. For beekeepers like T. Scott Robinson, maintaining a healthy colony of bees is a daily lesson in community involvement and sustainable production.
"It all plays a part and everything is connected," said Robinson, leaning against his green pick-up truck. "Every bee has a job to do, just like a community."
According to Robinson, working with bees gave him a different perspective.
"That's one thing that I've felt overwhelmed by. Once you start dealing things with in nature--God's creation--you start to realize how interconnected things are. It's a blessing," Robinson said.
Tall and lean with electric blue eyes, Robinson is soft-spoken and prone to marvel at the simplistic genius of nature.
Robinson rolled up his right sleeve to reveal deep purple bruising and explained his wincing handshake.
"I'm kinda gimpy with this right arm all jacked up," Robinson said.
The pain from a recent skiing accident, which will require surgery, did not prevent Robinson from climbing on top of a raised platform to extract a frame from a stack of wooden boxes called "supers" that encased a hive of bees.
The colony was one of the very first Robinson extracted from a church in Uchee, Ala., seven years ago and relocated.
"Yeah, y'all probably want to back up and we'll see how they react," Robinson said through the netting of his protective veil.
Bees hummed around Robinson's head as he produced the frame, which was crawling with more honey bees.
"They're not aggressive as long as you respect them," Robinson said, pointing a gloved finger at a bee furiously stabbing his veil. "Like this one. This one is aggravated."
Robinson replaced the frame with a soft "Alright, girls," as if soothing fussy children.
According to Robinson, honey bees are mild-mannered compared to their Africanized honey-bee relatives, better known as killer bees, and are selective about stinging.
Robinson explained bees serve an important function in sustainable farming and that beekeepers are often called to facilitate pollination in orchards or farms.
"My part in all this is I'm trying to promoting beekeeping and understanding, so that when people see a bee, it's not an enemy," Robinson said. "It's actually so important to our economy."
After picking up beekeeping as a hobby, Robinson began giving demonstrations for 4-H clubs, the Boy Scouts and local elementary schools.
Annually, Robinson shares his knowledge at The Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee, held by the East Alabama Chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama at the Saugahatchee Country Club in July, and which benefits the Lee County Literacy Coalition.
Not only are bees important for pollination, the honey they produce is a natural allergy remedy.
According to Robinson and fellow beekeeper Mike Ellenberger, who befriended Robinson during a Saugahatchee Beekeepers Association meeting, local honey exposes the immune system to allergens in the area capable of preventing or easing the agony of seasonal allergies.
"It's amazing," Robinson said. "But I've already noticed three different types of pollen: one is a bright orange, one is a grey and one is yellow. Already this early in the season, we have things in bloom and that's why people are noticing their allergies."
Auburn coffee shop, Wake Up Coffee Company, stands by local beekeepers.
Recognizing both the health benefits and the community support local honey provides, owner Wade Preston is always on the look-out for nearby apiaries.
"We want to source local products and local honey's great," Preston said. "We currently source honey out of Odenville, but we're looking to get some that's even more local."
Despite their reputation for stinging, Ellenberger said bees provide numerous perks to the community.
"They're very much beneficial insects," Ellenberger said. "There are other benefits that people don't think about. There's pollen production and wax production for candle-making."
As winter retreats, the coming months will prove to be a test of the hives' strength.
"It's a fine dance between a good honey-producing season and a bad one," Robinson said. "It's really contingent on what Mother Nature is giving us."
However, Robinson is confident in his hive.
A good bloodline is as important in a colony of bees as it is in a monarchy and he has spent years cultivating this particular group.
Those inspired to try their hand at beekeeping or learn more about the profession can contact the Opelika Extension Agency or the Saugahatchee Beekeepers Association.
According to Robinson and Ellenberger, the lessons learned from beekeeping could be valuable for positive civic and personal growth.
"In the short period of time that I've spent with this one insect, I've learned about community, self-awareness, and respect to nature," Robinson said.
(02/20/14 3:34am)
The Lone Bellow is playing in Opelika Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Cultural Arts Center of East Alabama. Frontman Zach Williams answered a few questions about the band. What were you all doing before The Lone Bellow got together?
I’ve been making music since 2005. I moved to New York to pursue that after doing it for a couple years down in Florida. Brian was also making music, he’s been a songwriter for, I don’t know, ten years I guess. And Kaneen lived in Beijing for like five years and she did music over there, then moved to Brooklyn.
What does performing and touring mean to you?
I mean that’s where the rubber meets the road. You are connecting with your listeners. So that’s like the fundamental thing that we have tried to build everything on top of.
How is performing in the South different than the North?
Everything has its pluses and its minuses. We really only played, Birmingham in al and that was rowdy, that was a rowdy bunch. I remember seeing this cop that was like, on duty and he still came to the show. It was awesome. gave me his card and was like if you ever get a speeding ticket in Alabama give me a call.
How did you like working with producer Charlie Peacock on your first record?
He’s awesome; Charlie is an incredible producer. He has made some seriously good records. It was a lot of fun because when he started working with us he was finishing up the Civil Wars record, so there was a lot of excitement going on.
What’s it like for someone who grew up in the South to move to New York City?
Hm. Well, there’s a few different versions of the south. I guess it depends on what version of the south you’re coming from. I think if you’re coming from the rural part, you’re gonna fit right in because New York is basically a collection of small neighborhoods; you just get to know everybody and walk around with the same people. But I think if you’re like from the suburban south I think it might be a little bit of a harder transition.
What have you learned from living in New York?
A well-known thing about New York is that it will break you down. It’s a really good mirror I think for a human being as most great cities are. It’s a challenging place but it really makes you curate what you do very specifically. You basically can’t twiddle your thumbs there. Cause you’re either get really really sad, and alone. Or you’re get really really broke and sad and alone. I say move up there with a couple friends and try to like lock arms and do it together. Because even though its 9 million people its really easy to feel alone if you don’t know anybody.
The Lone Bellow is working on a new record and there current tour will stop at Bonnaroo and Shaky Knees festivals this summer.
(02/20/14 9:15pm)
Instagram took over social media as the new place to share photos with friends, and then, later, with video. But unless users use an outside source to form a collage, they can only share one picture or video at a time.
The new app Momentage, sold to Apple July 2013, introduces a whole new way to share experiences.
"Momentage is a multimedia type app that allows you to share, capture and organize in the most elegant way possible," said JoAnn Ippolito, co-founder and COO of Momentage. "It really brings everyday moments to life and makes it as engaging as possible with the community."
According to Ippocito, through Momentage, users can take photos, videos and sound images and post them in one single post.
George Castineiras, founder and of Momentage, said they wanted to figure out how to modernize the way people around the world capture the most precious content they have, protect it and share it.
Castineiras said he wanted to find a better alternative to the way people have done it before, such as with digital cameras.
"We need a tool that helps people capture content with multiple media," Castineiras said. "We want to make sure people can share it the way they want. We don't want to define the user. We want the user to define, you know, the application."
The app has a discovery page with a variety of Momentages from different users. You can scroll down to see Momentages, even from people you don't follow.
Justin Bowen, chief technology officer at Momentage, said the discovery page is a place where they're trying to define rich content.
"It's kind of a blend of users that you should be following that have been on the app for a long time, and users that you should start following because they joined the app, and they have really rich content," Bowen said.
According to Ippolito, the app is organized per moment.
For example, if a user goes to the beach all day, they can upload their photos, videos and sound images in one clip and continue to add to it throughout the day.
"You can constantly go back to your beach day and keep adding unlimitedly," Ippolito said. "If you decide that you want to organize it a little bit differently and capture, 'ok, well now I'm actually heading to a boat, and I'm doing a little boat trip on top of the beach day,' you can categorize that and then change that to a completely different moment. Then you can add specifically what you want regarding the beach day versus the boat day in two separate categories, or keep it all together."
Castineiras said Instagram is a terrific app if all users are doing is communicating with their friends in a single post.
In terms of function, Castineiras compared Momentage to books and Instagram to dictionaries.
"What I mean by that is you're going to get a much richer experience in observing and experiencing someone's moment versus a single post," Castineiras said.
(02/22/14 3:00pm)
Michael Stricklin, graduate student in structure and design, has been making quality leather goods for more than two years and doesn't plan on stopping.
His company, Loyal Stricklin, started small, but has grown and been noticed by so many people that it keeps him up most nights.
"I'm doing school every morning until pretty much noon, then I come out to Opelika and work until about midnight every night," Stricklin said.
RC Hagans is an artist who rents out a studio in Opelika and works with Stricklin.
Hagan said he admires Stricklin's approach to his art.
"He's got a really great work ethic," Hagans said. "So many times people are like, 'Oh, let me come hang out and draw with you' and they just wanna sit there and drink beer and gossip. But Michael is down to get down to work, and so am I. We motivate each other."
With an undergraduate in Auburn's acclaimed architecture department, it isn't surprising that Stricklin's parents want him to pursue a job as an architect.
However, Stricklin said the more he does with Loyal Stricklin, the less appealing the idea of being an architect seems to him.
"I'm getting tired of the late nights, so if I were to go and get a full-time job then that would just leave even less time for myself," Stricklin said.
Stricklin has experimented and challenged himself with all the potential leather holds.
"I just tried to make a new design every week for a while until I found the ones that worked," Stricklin said.
Stricklin has worked with different qualities of leather while trying various techniques and stitching. He has also collaborated and learned from other leather workers over the years he's been in the business.
"If you're doing it right, you're doing a product unique enough and you shouldn't feel threatened by anyone else [in the business]," Stricklin said.
According to Stricklin, an upcoming collaboration with an Alaskan artist will feature bear knuckles.
Stricklin said he has used social media and the Internet to successfully to promote Loyal Stricklin.Various prominent Instagram accounts have featured Stricklin, getting his name and product out to thousands of customers from multiple countries that may never have seen his products.
"The Internet makes it very possible to run a relatively small business but be doing very big things," Stricklin said.
But before he started selling his product from Canada to California, Stricklin was picked up by local retailers, including The Overall Company in Opelika.
"He's great," said Ali Maloney, one of the founders of The Overall Company. "We bought some Christmas presents from him; I bought my husband a wallet, and my other business partners have his wallet. He's got great stuff, and I love that he's always coming out with new products."
Follow Stricklin on Instagram at @loyalstricklin to see all of his latest products.
(02/21/14 4:15pm)
He's been making people laugh for 27 years.
Ron White has been one of the top three comics in America for more than a decade; he's dedicated to his craft and he's not slowing down.
"I've done 11,000 shows," White said. "I used to do nine shows a week, 50 weeks a year."
With a thick "Texas accent," as White called it, he commented on how performing in the South compared to performing in big cities in the North.
"Well it's surprisingly similar, you know, because we all respond to the human condition that is pretty much the same," White said. "Even with Blue Collar, we always sold tickets in the North as well as we did in the South because it's really geared toward people who have to get up and do something, you know, for a living."
Blue Collar Comedy Tour was a widely popular comedy tour with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and White. White said he wouldn't be where he is today without Foxworthy and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, and he's still known for many of the jokes he told on that tour.
"Most of my fans know that I won't do old material," White said. "There's no such thing as a hit joke. If you know the joke, you know the joke, so we have to move on and I have to tell you a new joke."
White said the jokes he tells aren't written in any notebooks or scribbled down on any napkins and he never sits down to write.
"It's processed in my unstable brain and worked out on stage," White said. "Jokes are kind of like puzzles, you know? If you find something that's really funny you can build the puzzle around it."
The way White processes and writes his jokes coincides with his comic style, which is to be true to your nature. White said for a long time his managers told him he needed to be more like other comics, corporate clean, but White never changed.
"I'm gonna be myself," White said. "The closer you get to who you really are onstage, the more people respond to it, for whatever reason."
This thwarted rumors that White had given up drinking and only drank apple juice on stage as part of his act.
"I don't know how that got started," White laughed. "You can actually go on YouTube and see footage of me in a suit, cigar, scotch, diving in to a mermaid tank. So if that doesn't scream I still drink I don't know what does."
Number Juan is the tequila White drinks on stage, an award winning liquor he and his brother-in-law created.
White is an accomplished comic, published author, actor and has owned multiple businesses. White said he's not opposed to branching out even more, but not if it compromises his tour.
"Once [tickets] are on sale, they're on sale and I'm coming," White said.
Tickets are on sale now to see White on Feb. 28 in Columbus, Ga., March 21 in Birmingham and March 22 in Montgomery.
(02/20/14 2:35pm)
Auburn is an ever-changing community that never ceases to keep its students on their toes. Whether it's by adding a fleet of food trucks to campus or spontaneous raves in the library, Auburn students are always experiencing new things on campus.
The Auburn University Acrobatics Club is one of these new things that has been added to Auburn's campus.
Anna Caudle, junior in ESA performance, had experience with acrobatics in high school and decided she wanted to do something similar at Auburn.
New this semester, the club already has approximately 25 members just from students who heard about it by word of mouth, Caudle said.
"It's been even more successful than I thought it would be," Caudle said.
The group only practices once a week, Fridays from 2 - 3:30 p.m., in the upstairs dance studio of the theater building.
Caudle said she leads the practices, starting off with some exercise.
"We start out each class with a 30-minute intensive workout because a lot of the stuff we do requires a lot of muscle and a lot of endurance," Caudle said.
After that, they stretch and begin learning new tricks. Most of the tricks they learn are done with partners, but juggling has recently been added to their skill set.
"We started out learning just basic moves, like little flips and stuff like that, and as we got a feel for who our best partner was, we've been able to move on to much more advanced tricks," said Jordan Lunstead, sophomore in musical theater. "One of our dance professors is supposed to be getting certified in stilts this summer. So, hopefully, we will be having stilts classes next year."
Teddy Childers, junior in biomedical sciences, said they usually learn three to four stunts a day. Childers' favorite stunt is called the fallen angel.
"I have a girl in front of me, and she jumps, and I am holding her [...] by the small of her back over my head with one hand," Childers said. "That seems to be the most difficult."
Lunstead described another trick, where one acrobat throws another into the air, where latter does and is caught in the middle of a split.
Caudle said she thinks the coolest move involves two people on the bottom as bases and one flyer, the person who gets thrown in the air. The two bases hold onto the hands and feet of the flyer and flip them into a backbend in the air.
"It's definitely a high level of intricacy," Caudle said. "It looks incredible."
According to Caudle, they have never had an injury at practice.
The club uses gymnastics mats the members lay out before they start practicing tricks.
"We only ever do partnering tricks one at a time so we can have people actively spotting the people that are doing the tricks in case anything goes wrong," Lunstead said.
The group has already had a few performances and hopes to have more in the future. Anyone who is interested in joining the club can contact Caudle at acc0027@tigermail.auburn.edu.
(02/19/14 4:05pm)
Ready to feel great about yourself? Special K is here to help.
The sugary-sweet pressed corn cereal has been running The Special K Challenge commercials since 2008, promising women they'll drop six pounds or one jean size in two weeks.
Peppy music swells--a terrible cover of Nappy Roots' "Good Day." A brunette scans a Gap-like department store for her jean size. Many know the annoyance of trying jeans on in-store, hoping vanity-sizing hasn't transfigured your usual size. For our heroine, it must have come as a shock to discover that her denim provider swapped numbered sizes for uplifting phrases to better entice shoppers and stroke egos: "Radiant," "Confident," "Oooh-La-La," and the coveted size "Sassy."
After eight seconds, a cheerful disembodied voice shares this kernel of wisdom: "Wouldn't it be nice if we focused less on the number and more on the way the fit makes us feel?" Not a bad concept. Yet.
A chorus of children butchers Nappy's "And all my homies gonna ride today," into "And all my ladies got pride today." The incorporeal voice interrupts to answer her own rhetorical question: "Take the Special K Challenge. Drop a jean size in just two weeks and slip into size 'Sassy.'"
Fast-forward to two weeks from the original shopping trip. Our heroine swallows her mouthful of Special K Redberries then spins to show us her rear where "Sassy" is printed on the label of her jeans. The all-knowing Voice, which has followed her home a la Paranormal Activity, points out that there are lots of delicious ways to lose weight and finally fit into size "Sassy."
There is even a website you can visit and an online community to support "positive change." You may create a meal plan that fits you--as long as it includes at least four Special K products a day. The Voice leaves us to ponder, "What will you gain when you lose?"
Another commercial gives us a view of nervous, pedicured toes--130 toes to be exact--as approximately 13 women approach their bathroom scales. The format of the commercial is basically the same as the last, but they take it a step further.
Hopefully, hitting a nerve with women everyone, the scales flash redeeming qualities and fuzzy feelings instead of numbers: pep, shine, joy, nerve, pride, hope, calm, freedom, laughter. While this is a baffling situation, when the camera pans up we are shown three orgasmic faces.
The women are thrilled to weigh in at "Spirit." They finally made it. "Thanks, Special K! Couldn't have done it without you," the ladies practically shout.
The Voice returns with the unfortunately all-too-familiar catchphrase: "What will you gain when you lose?"
Here's what's wrong, in case you've missed the blatant contradiction. First, Special K is masquerading as a company that supports healthy lifestyles for women and believes in female empowerment.
They claim to be the emancipation from a life of being a slave to the scale. They say numbers don't matter, except to Special K, numbers matter quite a bit. They are promoting quick-fix dieting while lining their pockets with the cash women cough up once they've bought into the scheme.
Because some women think the Special K Challenge is all they need to jump-start a healthy diet, they will return again and again. Not to mention the sugar addiction the artificial sweeteners in the products undoubtedly trigger.
More distressing, though, Special K is telling us that once we lose those last six (or eight or 12 or 20) pounds, we'll finally feel good about ourselves. We shed the weight and gain confidence and happiness. We slip into a smaller size and throw off shyness and dissatisfaction.
Everything Special K promotes is external. Everything is wrapped up in how much you weigh. Instead of nurturing women and showing them how to accept themselves, The Special K Challenge demands alterations. They don't put a cap on it either--they don't say, "some people shouldn't lose any more weight." Instead it's a blanket statement: "everyone could stand to lose at least six pounds."
And then what? When a girl is exposed to messages like this--and there are thousands, I'm just picking on Special K for fun--she is set up for disaster. Arguments start in her brain and she wants to make the changes and feel the feelings like the women in the commercial, like the juice-fasting celebrity in the magazine, like the Adderall-abusing roommate. Because she's been taught that these are gateways to happiness. She doesn't see the frustration and the downward spiral that lies in wait.
If you're looking to feel sassy, confident and free, skip the Special K Challenge. You already have it inside you, I promise, and it's not too late to uncover it if you think you've lost it. Take a deep breath, have a bubble bath, go to Restorative Yoga on Friday nights, be kind to others, and speak gently to yourself. Invest in your healthier life, starting from the inside out.
(02/19/14 5:10pm)
More people have watched his video than live in the state of New Mexico, and it only been three weeks.
Caleb Hyles, junior in radio, television and film, has more than 2.6 million views of his cover of "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen.
Hyles has been making videos since 2003, but he has never had one of his videos gain the popularity of "Let It Go." Hyles credits a lot of his cover's success to the song.
"Every video I've seen of 'Let It Go' has become a thing," Hyles said. "I think people are so in love with this song, that if something comes along that is special, it's going to take off."
It was for this reason that Hyles wasn't entirely shocked when the hits began to pile up.
"I'm partially shocked, but I'm not full in shock because the nature of the song is so poignant to a lot of people," Hyles said. "I'm partially surprised that it happened to me just cause I've been running a channel for several years now and that's never happened to me."
One person who helped share Hyles' cover was Courtney Stringer, a close friend of Hyles, who began promoting the video via Facebook and Twitter.
Stringer said the video began to quickly gain hits after they created a fan page for Hyles and began asking people who'd commented on his video to like the page and spread the word about his talent.
Hyles said he chose "Let It Go" because it connected with him on a personal level and challenged him musically.
"As a singer, I love to try and stretch myself and do things I don't think I can normally do, and that song is not in my range," Hyles said. "The song is meant for women and a belting female vocalist, which is the complete opposite of me."
Although not a song for men, Hyles' cover has been well received and he contributes this to having kept his cover in the song's original form.
"There's a lot of male covers out there, but the only difference between mine and theirs is that mine is in the original key," Hyles said.
Hyles said this is important because it allows people to remix his cover with other's without having to edit the song. Fans have already inundated Hyles with duet versions of his cover.
"It's such a gratifying feeling knowing you've inspired someone to be creative," Hyles said.
Despite his recent YouTube fame, Hyles is yet to be approached to officially collaborate with someone. Hyles said ideally he'd love to work with James Hatfield of Metallica or Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who wrote the music for Frozen.
With Hyles only structured musical training coming in the form of a church choir, he resorted to an unusual method to receive feedback for his singing - a video game.
"I would attribute a lot of my vocal training to Rock Band because it scores you and it grades you," Hyles said. "It has that vocal training mood where it plays the tones and notes and it shows you how off you are, allowing you to adjust yourself on the fly."
In addition to operating a YouTube channel, Hyles is also active in multiple other musical areas.
"I'm in a fresh metal band called From The Dark," Hyles said. "Also I would love to perform more, do musical theater, act, any kind of medium that involves me getting to express myself is something I want to pursue."
"Caleb is not only a very talented singer, but also actor and drummer," said Steve Badskey, Hyles' church music director who has known him since he was a toddler. "He's a great unknown talent. I could see him making it on Broadway now, he has that level of natural talent."
For the time being, Hyles said he's just trying to stay grounded and enjoy continuing to make music.
