The Columbus Books-A-Million, in conjunction with Hollywood Premier Cinemas of Starkville, will be hosting an event for the much-anticipated release of “The Hunger Games” on March 23. The Starkville movie theatre will open for a special midnight showing at 12 am on the movie’s official release day.

Those attending are encouraged to dress in costume as their favorite character from the book or movie. There will be games and prizes, including a contest for the most creative costume. Books-A-Million will also have a cash-only booth selling movie-related merchandise and books in the theater lobby prior to the show.

The event begins at 10 pm Thursday, March 22 and the winner of the costume contest will be announced 30 minutes prior to the movie. For more information Call Cynthia Mason at 662-327-5447.

News Editor

The first Art in Columbus event was held on Thursday, Feb. 5, on Main Street in downtown Columbus.

The event was inspired by Fondran After 5, an art event held in Jackson’s art district once a month. The owners of Renee Reedy Photography and Film, who are also from Fondran, missed having a time for artists to come together and show their work, so they partnered with Random Acts of Culture and other studios in the area to come up with this event.

Renee Reedy, The Southern Letter Press and The Rozenswieg Art Center are the three studios that decided to put this together. According to Jessica Peterson, the owner of The Southern, the studios wanted to work together to showcase art.

"I think it was kind of a moment of spontaneous generation," said Peterson.

There was a good turnout for the opening event. Renee Reedy showcased the “New Friends” exhibit of dolls by Adele Elliot. The Rosenzwieg held Bernie Imes’ show “Partial to Home,” which was a collection of photographs from around the area. The Southern presented the “Installation Anonymous” answers, people’s answers to questions about love. The Southern also gave letterpress demonstrations.

There was a very good reaction from the community.

“I think that it will be a very interesting and beneficial thing to do. Columbus has a lot to be proud of in the area of the arts,” says Allegra Brigham, former MUW interim president.

The events are scheduled for the first Thursday of each month. For more information, contact Renee Reedy Studio at www.reneereedy.com or Random Acts of Culture at www.randomactsofculture.biz.

Managing Editor

On Wednesday the 18^th many websites including Wikipedia, Google, 4Chan, Megaupload and Reddit are uniting in opposing and protesting the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) by blacking out most of their website’s posts or logos, or in Wikipedia’s case, shutting it down completely.

The Stop Online Piracy Act has been gaining steam from Congress since its introduction late last year. SOPA and PIPA, if passed, would have the power to block Internet service providers from letting people go to certain websites or in some cases, delete entire websites from the Internet altogether. Almost immediately the Internet’s underworld cried foul on the bill they thought seemed “too vague” and “censors the internet.”

After the bill was finally looked over by the Obama Administration, it too found the wording of the bill a little too extreme and vague.

"While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cyber security risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet," said leaders from the Obama Administration in a statement on whitehouse.gov.

Most people and organizations against SOPA and PIPA are blaming “Hollywood bigwigs” for the resurgence of strength these bills have picked up since being introduced. Sites such as Megaupload and Reddit have gone so far as to release statements blaming them directly.

“The freedom, innovation, and economic opportunity that the Internet enables is in jeopardy. It's all about money.  Boycott the goods and services of the companies that support SOPA and Protect IP,” said a Reddit administrator on its page, announcing its internet strike opposing the bills.

Megaupload, in its post joining the fight against SOPA and PIPA, recounted an incident involving Universal Music Group (UMG), a strong supporter of SOPA, in which it enlisted the help of musicians P. Diddy, Will.i.am, Kanye West and Chris Brown to produce a promotional song and video for Megaupload which it called the Mega Song. After becoming an instant viral hit on YouTube, Twitter and other sites hosting the video, UMG unlawfully claimed ownership of the Mega Song and had the video taken down from YouTube and the other sites where the video was hosted.

Though the list of people and organizations opposing SOPA and PIPA is a mile long, from Arianna Huffington to Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, the list of organizations supporting the bills is even longer and stronger. Major corporations from 3M, to Electronic Arts to CBS and Nike have announced unwavering supporting for the passing of these bills. These  companies said they feel that their properties should be protected by whatever means possible to keep them from being stolen and traded across the Internet.

Though some companies received no backlash after formally announcing their support for the bill, most organizations faced harsh criticism from their Internet followers for supporting such a bill. After GoDaddy.com announced its support for SOPA, many websites hosted on GoDaddy began to swap to a different server. The largest network leaving GoDaddy was the I Can Has Cheezburger network, which walked away with its over 1,000 domains.

Both Microsoft and Sony announced support for SOPA in its earliest of days, but quietly switched over to the list of opposers after facing a severe backlash from the millions of users of their home gaming consoles and Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia has high hopes that this Internet strike will reach far enough to have a massive impact on the future of the two bills.

“This is going to be wow. I hope Wikipedia will melt phone systems in Washington on Wednesday. Tell everyone you know!” Wales announced to his Twitter followers.

The Senate will vote on PIPA on January 24 and SOPA will return to the House in February after a two week break.



News editor

Some members of the Mississippi Brawl Stars team.What do you get when you mix the sports of skating and football and add female athletes into the mix? The answer is roller derby, a very competitive sport that any woman, athletic or not, can enjoy – and it’s fun to watch too.

Roller derby is not a very well-known sport, but that is all about to change. With around 1,000 teams on six continents, it is naturally gaining popularity in the United States. The sport even caught the attention of Hollywood with the movie “Whip It,” directed by Drew Barrymore.

The first professional teams started in the 1940s, but they were more theatrical than athletic, much like professional wrestling today. Around 2000 roller derby changed into a truly athletic sport.

The sport is popular in larger cities and on the coast. Recently, though, the sport is starting to gain popularity in the South. Proof of this is right here in Columbus with the local team, the Mississippi Brawl Stars. 

The team was started by Denna Ryan, Isa Beaulieu and W alumna Megan Dareing in March of 2010.

“The W is a target because the sport is perfect for college students,” says team member and W alumna Juna’uh Allgood.

Allgood got involved when she moved back to Columbus after graduating from MUW. Her friend Sarah Wilson, another MUW alum, told her about the sport and encouraged her to give it a try. She got involved with the team in December of 2010. She actually started that next month, January 2011.

“The hardest part is trying something new,” said Allgood.

The Brawl Stars are trying to become an official Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WTDA) league. To do this they need to have a certain number of members and have played for almost a year. When they have achieved that, they will apply to be an apprentice team and will later become a certified team.

The team has a pretty good following in the community, bringing in around 200 audience members for each bout. The team involves community members in whatever way it can. Recently, the team had the local chief of police ring the bell at the beginning of one of its bouts. In addition, they also use ticket sales to support the Palmer home and various other charities in the area.

The sport is very athletic, but is not like most typical sports. It is perfect for women who want to be part of a team, but may not fit in a traditional sport. The Brawl Stars’ ages fall anywhere from 18 to 40, and they all come from different walks of life.

Contrary to Internet rumors that all roller derby bouts end in blood and concussions for their players, Allgood says the bouts are not as violent as some might think they are.

“There are rules,” Allgood says.

Also, the party scene that is often associated with roller derby is absent. There are after parties, but, at the end of the day, they are athletes just like in any other sport.

There have recently been men who are trying to make their own leagues, but it is not common.

“This is one of the few times where men are trying to follow women,” says Allgood.

Another unique aspect of the sport is the creativity and performance involved. Players choose derby names, which are used as a fun outlet for the players’ personalities, much like an alter ego, and on the local level players can customize their uniforms. Also, the bouts can be themed, which gets the audience included.

To join the team you must be at least 18, a female and you must show an interest in learning. You do not have to know how to skate. There is a $10 application fee. For more information, contact Juna’uh Allgood at (601)692-3395.

Contributing writer

A sample of the artists' phonetography pictures.Most people use their cell phones to take photos, but they don’t see the photographs as art.

But for phonetographers, images captured by camera phones can go beyond the ordinary and venture into the realm of art. This was the focus of an event held in downtown Columbus on Friday, Nov. 4.  The event, titled “Phonetography,” featured local photographers and artists who captured pictures using only their cellphones.

Photographs were printed and displayed on wires stretched around the room. Those attending received a glimpse into the varied subjects that find their way into a phone’s camera lens.

Erik Studdard, an MUW graduate, was driving force behind the event. 

“I am always taking pictures with my phone,” said Studdard. “I wanted to see if there were others who shared my interest, and it snowballed from there.”

Studdard has a background in graphic design and took that as an opportunity to transform his cellphone into a tool for creating this new style of art.

“Whatever you can do with a camera, you can do with a phone,” Studdard said.

Katie McDill, also a graduate from MUW, was another featured artist. She said she was happy to see a nice turnout for the show.

“I see pictures in everything, and the mobile phone makes it easy,” said McDill.

The event featured other artists such as Kelly Tippett, Dana LeBlanc, and MUW’s own faculty members Shawn Dickey and Chris Jenkins. 

The event was held at the Renee Reedy Photography Studio, located below Café on Main in downtown Columbus. The studio is owned by Renee Reedy and her husband, Will Reedy, both of whom had their own photos on display.  The studio is planning a grand opening for Nov. 15.

The studio will also be available for other showcases, and the Reedys said they are looking forward to more in the future.

“Columbus has a unique and cool downtown,” said Will Reedy.

The studio will be open to the public, and will also offer video and photo services according to Will Reedy.

 “This is our office and our showroom. We have done a lot of work and want a place we can showcase art,” said Will Reedy.

News Editor

The Art and Design department is hosting an exhibition consisting of more than 40 of Eudora Welty’s photographs until Oct. 23.

The show is being displayed in the Eugenia Summers Gallery this year. It features photographs taken by Welty during the Great Depression. The show also comes around just in time for the annual Eudora Welty Writers Symposium.

This is the second time that the gallery has put on a show of Welty’s photographs. The last time was in the mid ‘90s, when the Art and Design Department bought a few of them to put in its permanent gallery, along with a portrait of Welty herself. The show was curated by the Mobile Museum of Art.

“At the Eugenia Summers Gallery, we go through a lot of extra effort to make sure we support women artists and to support Southern artists,” said Alex Stelioes-Wills, director of the Art and Design Department

Therefore, according to Stelioes-Wills, it is only fitting that this show be put on now, as Welty was both.

During the Depression, Welty worked for the Workers Progress Administration as a publicity officer. This job required that she travel around the state. While on her own time, she took pictures of people, places and things from all walks of life. 

An interesting aspect of the show is that the pictures are documents of what life was like in Mississippi during the Depression. At that time, not many people could afford a camera and some did not even know what it did.

“Eudora Welty was unflinchingly honest and truthful…she wanted to show everything, the good and the bad” said Stelioes-Wills.

Her idea of beauty was not necessarily what others saw as beautiful.  Her photos included subjects such as dockworkers, poor people sitting outside of their shabby houses, and farmers in the fields. The display also features many pictures of African-Americans, a rare subject during that time period.

There will be a reception held in the Art and Design building on Friday, Oct. 20, from 4-5:30 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from10 a.m- 4 p.m.

Managing editor & reporter

On the Nov. 8 ballot, Mississippians will be faced with a tough decision regarding the definition of personhood and when life really begins.

The Personhood Amendment set to be voted on in November states that an unborn fetus is indeed a person, and would in turn restrict the laws on abortions and various kinds of birth control in Mississippi. It had been challenged in court by opponents, but on Sept. 8, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that the Personhood Amendment does not violate Mississippi state law.

The amendment is popularly known as “Measure 26,” and it seeks to define “personhood” as occurring at the moment of fertilization. While many support the amendment because it would make abortion illegal, others are concerned that the measure is written in very broad language.

“While advancements in technology have allowed for more proponents of the idea that life starts at conception, the question at hand is whether this amendment will have an adverse effect on a woman's ability to make decisions on most personal health issues,” said Jacorius Liner, an MUW senior majoring in business administration.

Liner, who is from Rosedale, is the president of the MUW College Democrats.

Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, Mississippi was the only state in the nation where abortion was legal only in the case of rape. The Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 stated that, at the time, one could not determine whether a fetus was a person and that it was within a person’s legal rights to choose whether or not to abort the fetus.

Supporters of Measure 26 have worked for more than two years to get the amendment in front of voters, including gathering more than 100,000 signatures in support of the proposal. They argue that medical technology has moved beyond the more limited capabilities available in 1973 when Roe v. Wade was decided, and that medical evidence shows life begins at conception. The topic is controversial, and questions remain about what the bill would allow or outlaw.

According to Yeson26.com, a website supporting the measure, the bill is seeking to outlaw certain forms of birth control, such as RU486, which allow for a child to be conceived then ejected from the womb. If formally amended into the constitution, the Personhood Amendment would officially prohibit women from choosing to abort their pregnancies — including rape victims — and would also make some general forms of contraception illegal, regardless of the circumstances under which it is used. This is formally stated on http://www.yeson26.net/stories/yeson26-faq.aspx.

The MUW College Republicans discussed the issue in their meeting on Sept. 13.

“The greatest concern seemed to be the fear that the amendment would outlaw contraceptives, which from what I have been told, it will not do,” said Jase Sayre, a political science major from Winfield, Ala. “However, even with that small fear, a majority of the people that attended the meeting wanted the amendment to pass and for abortion to end.”

Several prominent Mississippi politicians have expressed their support for the measure.  Steve Simpson, the state’s Public Safety Commissioner and a candidate for state attorney general, is one of those who have gone on record as supporting the amendment.

“By voting ‘Yes on 26’ this November, Mississippi voters have an opportunity to win a major battle in the fight for human life. While my opponent, Jim Hood, has refused to support this amendment and the fight for life, I will not only support the initiative now — I pledge to wholeheartedly defend it from any legal challenges that may arise after I’m elected Attorney General,” Simpson said in a news release.

Those who oppose the measure include Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. They argue that the measure is intrusive and invades a woman’s privacy.

“Policies like ‘Personhood’ do nothing to prevent unintended pregnancies or abortion,” said Leola Reis, VP of External Affairs for Planned Parenthood Southeast, Inc., and a leader of the opposition to the amendment.  “Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates supports the Mississippians for Healthy Families Campaign which will work to defeat initiative 26.”  www.plannedparenthood.org/ppse

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant is co-chair of the group advocating the Personhood Amendment. He has been involved with the legislation from the beginning, even helping to get the signatures necessary to place the initiative on the ballot. When asked earlier this year if he realized that the amendment would stop abortion in Mississippi, Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant replied, “That’s exactly what I want to do!”

There is a chance that the measure will end up back in court if it is approved in November. The Mississippi Supreme Court did not determine the constitutionality of the proposal in its decision last month, but that question could arise if the amendment passes on Nov. 8.

Students who are legal residents of Mississippi, age 18 and older, who want to have a say in the matter need register to vote. Visit http://www.sos.state.ms.us/elections/VoterRegistration/ to register. 

However, please be aware: in order to vote in the election on Nov. 8, a person must register 30 days prior to the election date. You have just a couple days left to go online and register before the deadline on Oct. 8, 2011.

For more information, visit the Mississippi for Healthy Families Facebook page at

http://www.facebook.com/#!/MS4HealthyFamilies?sk=wall. You can also find more information at Personhood Mississippi’s website, http://www.personhoodmississippi.com/



Contributing writer

The city of Columbus and the United Way of Lowndes County had their first community food drive on Sept. 24 at the Trotter Convention Center.  

“This is the first time the city has teamed up with United Way, and we had an awesome turnout,” said Glenda Burkhalter, special project coordinator with the mayor and city council. “I just want to say a big thank you to Columbus. This was true community collaboration.”

Burkhalter said she approached Jan Ballard, Executive Director of United Way, with the idea of the community outreach a couple of months ago.

“I was in instant agreement,” Ballard said. “This has been United Way’s first food drive in two years on such a large scale. We are so pleased with the community support.”  Glenda Burkhalter and Emily Williams

“There were over 2,000 cans collected from the Columbus District,” said Emily Williams, United Way Community Volunteer Center Program Coordinator.

All of the Columbus city schools, as well as several other organizations, participated in the drive, Williams said. She said that Sale Elementary decorated boxes that the food was collected in.

“It was so good to see such a giving spirit among the children,” Williams said. “They kept asking what else they could do to help.”

There was a steady flow of donations throughout the morning, Burkhalter said. She said the community response was significant, and they plan to continue to host the food drive each spring and fall, as well as special projects during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

“We always want to be feeding people,” Burkhalter said.

The food will benefit non-profit organizations such as Loaves and Fishes, Helping Hands, Safe Haven, Salvation Army, Recovery House and Community Resource Connection, Ballard said. The donations consisted of canned foods, pastas, rice, bottled waters and other dry goods.

An assortment of food from the driveBallard was thankful for assistance from Columbus Air Force Base. Student pilots of the “Class of 12.12” organized contributions and lent a hand in loading vehicles after the campaign.

“You should have been here when they were sorting through the cans,” Ballard said. “Cans were flying all over the place. We had a lot of fun,”

At the end of the day, it was all summed up in the words of a child, “Somebody’s gonna be eating good tonight!”

Editor

In less than three weeks, Quartier Latin Café, or Quartier Coffee as it is referred to for short by W students, has made an impact on both students and the Columbus community.

Quartier Latin Café is located on 11^th Street, just one block north of campus. Students are already flocking to it in droves, after its grand opening less than three weeks ago.

J. Carlos Rosales, founder of Quartier Latin Café, is also the owner of Tampico Bay Bar and Grill and the Three Amigos Saloon, both located on College Street just off campus. Rosales is very excited about his new business, and greets customers with an enthusiastic “Bonjour, et bienvenue!” as they enter.

Rosales is a strong supporter of the W. His sons, Roberto and Christopher, attend the W, and Rosales himself has taken classes here. A large portion of his business at all three locations comes from W students.

As such, Rosales wants to focus his business on giving back to the students who frequent his establishments.

“We depend a lot on the W… I know when [students] come to Tampico Bay – they scratch in [their] bags for quarters,” said Rosales.

In order to do this, Rosales said he has priced everything sold at Quartier Latin Coffee at a much lower rate than that of leading coffee chains. He is also offering a discount card to every student who comes in. The card is good through Nov. 15, and ensures a 5 percent discount on everything sold at Quartier Latin Café, as well as 10 percent off of everything at Tampico Bay.

Rosales says that the idea to start a coffee shop began with a trip to a French café in St. Augustine, Fla., and a can of Mickey Mouse coffee purchased on a family trip to Disneyworld. After visiting the coffee shop, Rosales wanted to brew the Mickey Mouse coffee, but did not have the proper equipment.

“So Roberto said, ‘let’s open a coffee shop,’” said Rosales.

And so the idea was planted. It took root when Rosales acquired the property which now holds the café, as well as a second-hand espresso machine.

The building which houses the café is one with a long history. Formerly known as The Chimneys, it once housed a bookstore frequented by Columbus’s most famous resident, Tennessee Williams. For many years, The Chimneys was the only bookstore in the state north of Jackson.

Rosales meant to move Tampico Bay to the new property and to sell the espresso machine. However, the house sat empty, unsuitable for the restaurant, and the espresso machine remained in storage for a year, gathering dust, until Rosales rediscovered it.

As his son Roberto was cleaning the machine one day, he suggested to his father that they use it to start a coffee shop in the empty building they now owned.

“In the middle of all that junk, [the espresso machine] was like a jewel shining… I thought, maybe it means to be this way. Let’s go do it,” he said.

Rosales and his sons set about founding their own coffee shop by returning to the French café they had enjoyed so much on their trip to St. Augustine. The owner there was intrigued by Rosales’ interest in the French language and culture, and offered advice as well as his own special recipe for brewing coffee.

Rosales is extremely pleased with the reception that the coffee shop has received from Columbus area. Responses from customers have been overwhelmingly positive.

“It's an awesome place… The people there are really sweet and the prices are awesome,” said senior history major Sheila Bonaventure.

Nichole Larson, a sophomore history major, agreed.

“The coffee is awesome,” she said.

“I’m really excited that we have a coffee shop, especially so close to campus. Because everything’s better with a shot of espresso!” said Kat Magana, a W alum who works at Tampico Bay.

Quartier Latin Café is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and reopens from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. through the week, except for Sundays, when it opens at 10:30 a.m.