News-JournalNews-JournalTrinity Valley

Volume 56 Issue 3 November 19, 2012Serving Trinity Valley Community College since 1972

Feature p. 7Yummy TreatsEven the most novice cook can make easy, scrumptious desserts.

Opinion/Editorial p. 3Stories from the pastPopular book series like 'Harry Potter' is still on stu-dents' must-read list.

A&E p. 9Once Upon a TimeSeries proves that people still love fairy tales.

The 211 Gallery is helping artists, who have not ob-

tained mainstream expo-sure, to become established artists by given them a chance to enrich the Athens

community by displaying their work in a local space.

The 211 is located in his-toric downtown Athens off Hwy 19, going toward Can-ton on the left-hand side, af-ter town square.

The 211 gallery is open Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Satur-

days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.There is not an owner at

211; it’s a cooperative. The gallery was just a project that was created with the chance to provide a place for artists with notoriety and unique insights to display their work.

The 211 tries to help

educate others about art through various programs. Christi Barrett, who has her work on display at the 211 Gallery, said the cooperative offers “…workshops, out-reach, exhibits, and related educational programming in order to make the creative process available to those who might not otherwise have access to it.”

A nonprofit organization, the 211 depends on dona-tions and artists' fees to keep the gallery afloat.

“We hope to partner with other community venues to showcase local arts in a va-riety of locations,” Barrett said.

It is not only a gallery, but it’s also a studio. The front three rooms are gallery spaces that are rented out to artists who are interested in selling their work. Art in the gallery is changed quarterly. They rotate new art in and others out for ten weeks at a time.

The last two weeks of each quarter is open for shows and specialty events. Bar-rett said the next change-out deadline is Dec. 1.

The 211 also has monthly mini sales where smaller art pieces are sold for under $50.

Lace DonaghePhoto Editor

Lace Donaghe/News Journal

Cheryl Hicks, an Athens High School English teacher, offers mixed media and creative writing classes at the 211 Gallery. Christi Barrett (pictured above) also teaches workshops.

The 411 on the 211 GalleryLace Donaghe/News Journal

Gallery2

See Art page 4

Tree Lighting CeremonyN o v. 2 6

Opinion/EditorialNews-Journal2

www.tvccnewsjournal.com November 19, 2012

Editor-in-ChiefLis Valencia

Managing EditorTBA

A&E EditorJake Yarbrough

Photo EditorLace Donaghe

Sports EditorTBA

Web/Social Media EditorShayla Wright

Staff WritersTasha Walker-Carroll, Lace Dona-ghe, Kazandra Gutierrez, Adrian

Price, Carley Shultz and Jake Yarbrough

PhotographersAshton Hargrove, Lace Donaghe

Student Media AdviserDeidre Jones

Memberships: TIPA, TCCJA and ACP

The TVCC News-Journal is a monthly publication and is produced by the journalism students at TVCC’s Athens campus. Views expressed in the editorial section are the opinions of the writers and do not reflect the views of the TVCC administration. The News-Journal welcomes letters and suggestions. The TVCC News-Journal reserves the right to edit let-ters for grammar or length. Letters to the editor can be mailed to 100 Cardinal Drive, Athens, TX 75751; or emailed to journalstaff@tvcc.edu.

FOLLOW USwww.tvccnewsjournal.com

Can we survive without technology? Technology is very much a part of everyone’s life.

I feel technology, in itself, is not evil or good, but the way that it is used is beneficial to human kind. Technology has improved the quality of life, thus far.

We, as a society, are accepting technology with-out fully understanding the long-term consequences of this decision. We’re constantly looking for short-term gains and advancements without really think-ing about the whole picture for our kids.

A lot of people could not imagine what life would now be like if they didn't have the Internet, email, and chat features on their phones at their dispos-al. The simplest of things, such as TV, movies, and even video games, have also evolved. And each of them offers people a wide array of choices and new possibilities.

When I sit and contemplate about all of the differ-ent fields such as medicine and education, I feel that the contribution technology has made to modern-day life has been really positive and it has improve the quality of human lives.

Every aspect of life is largely dependent on tech-nology. You have to use technology somehow, wheth-er you are running or working in a small business or managing an international enterprise. A business owner is able to go for either electronic money like credit cards, debit cards or online payments.

Parents always want to be connected with their children, and it is possible through the latest cell

phone technology. A parent can easily track where their kid is going. Fast communication is indeed the most useful gift of technology, and I don’t think that there is a person who wants to return this gift.

But, on the other hand, there are down falls to technology. The New York Times reports that “digi-tal devices and distractions - from cell phones, to laptops, iPods, email and mobile games - could de-

prive our brains of necessary downtime.”Scientist have found that the same part of the

brain is stimulated with both texting and using drugs, like heroin. Signs of being addicted to texting include: losing track of time, not eating or sleeping, ignoring other people, lying because of texting, and always needing to receive more texts.

People use phones and other electronic devices to get work done almost anywhere these days. From the gym to the grocery store checkout line, the bus stop or a stoplight, many people see technology as a

way to make even the shortest amount of time pro-ductive or entertaining.

However, there are many examples of how tech-nology has had a negative impact on society. Cars produce air pollution, TVs kill brain cells, and ra-diation from computers can damage your eyes or impair your eyesight.

I am also concerned with the inequality that tech-nology has created. When some people do not have access to technology that is available to others, it is very easy to exploit these people. And that is a problem.

Technology has begun to create a barrier of face-to-face contact among people because you no longer have to have direct contact with other people. Now you can call up a friend or family member to wish them a happy birthday or congratulate them on their recent success instead of talking to them face-to-face.

Imagine a power outage. You know, the kind we had just a few weeks ago when hurricane Sand hit the East Coast, with our supposedly modern power grid.

Technology was useless in a natural disaster. What would happen if the entire U.S. was affected by this? What would you do if you didn’t have access to technology at all?

Without technology everything would fail without it. But if we continue to rely on with it, how will we prosper?

Tasha Walker-CarrollStaff Writer

Lace Donaghe

Every aspect of life is largely dependent on technology.

Several Texas cheerleader from a small Texas town just north of Beaumont at Kountze High School, are showing their Christianity at their foot-ball games, according to ABC news.

Before any football game, you always see cheer-leaders getting the guys pumped up and holding some kind of banner that the players would run through. You wouldn't think this would be a big deal. But this banner that these girls held read, " I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, Phil 4:13.

These numerous banners supported the girls' Christian beliefs and their freedom of speech . Of course not everyone liked it. According to ABC news, one unidentified person got aggravated by it and complained to the group,Freedom From Religion

Foundation. After the FFRF sent in a formal complaint, the

school district tried to barred the cheerleaders from displaying any Christian banners on school grounds. The organization said it believes that the first amendment had been broken. However, The Texas Education Code states that schools must re-spect the rights of students to express their religious beliefs, according to Fox news.

The cheerleaders fought back and would not back down. This is not the first time nor will it be the last time that people have taken or will take offense to students expressing their Christianity.

Republican Gov. Rick Perry supported the cheer-leaders and in a released statement he said: "Anyone who is expressing their faith should be celebrated, from my perspective, in this day and age of instant gratification, this me-first culture that we see all

too often. We're a nation built on the concept of free expression of ideas. We're also a culture built on the concept that the original law is God's law, outlined in the Ten Commandments."

Numerous people are supporting these teens in their fight to express their religious beliefs. I've seen comments and stories about the cheerlead-ers' plight all over Facebook, in local newspapers, on ABC news, Fox news, and all over the Internet. Many people have talked about it and still are talk-ing about it. These girls didn't back down when their school told them they had to take their Christian signs down. They took school to court, and District Judge Steve Thomas granted an injunction that will allow them to display Bible verses on banners at the football games temporarily. However, that is until June 24, 2013. They will have to go back to court to see if they will be allowed to do this indefinitely.

Cheerleaders should be commended for religious stance

November 19, 2012 www.tvccnewsjournal.com

jouViewfrom thealley

Trinity Valley New-Journal @ Facebookwww.tvccnewsjournal.com

"Hank the Cowdog" were my first chapter books. I started reading them in the fourth grade and read them all the way until high school."

Tiffany LuckettNursingPalestine, Texas

When you were younger, what was your favorite book series?

"The Hardy Boys." It was mystery and whenever you were read it, you could have different options to go to different sce-narios... and [find out] how the

book would turn out."

"I read the "Pendragon" series, mostly, while growing up. It was very great series, and it was very magical."

Brian McDougaldBiologyFort Worth, Texas

Andrew CoatneyKinesiology

Lewisville, Texas

Billy LewisAthletic Training

Kemp, Texas

"'Harry Potter'... [for] the fantasy aspect of it. I'm a big fantasy fan and fantasy writer. The different things he would get

into intrigued me."

When you ask people what is a popular book series for young adults, it seems like the first an-swer you get is “Twilight,” and that’s just fine. But what about some of the book series we can remember reading as a young adults. Those books that didn't have T-shirts or a movies at-tached to it just to keep us read-ing.Growing up, most people can

name a book series that always left them on the edge of their seats, wanting to know more.A personal favorite series of

books that seems full adventure is "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket. The 13-book series was published in 1999.The book is about the Baudelaire

children who became orphans and placed in care of their closest rela-tive, Count Olaf. Although each book have similar story lines, each one reveals more on the back story to what really happened to the children’s parents.So many book series now seem

like a distant memory; however,

we can all thank our elementary school teachers for introducing us to some great books.One in particular, that was re-

cently made into a film, was Bev-erly Cleary’s series of a young girl named Ramona Quimby and her sister Beatrice Quimby. The book series was about the adventures of the two sisters growing up and having the big- sister-little-sister arguments.It felt as if this was the first book

young readers could relate to the characters. Most of us have that younger sibling who annoyed us, or that older sibling who we wanted to be like. But at the end of the day, the love of two siblings rises above it all.Even though it's easier for some-

one to read a book in which they can relate to the characters, how about books with stories where the character is living in a world of superstition?In Holes by Louise Sachar, his

character Stanley Yelnats has a problem with always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So when his bad luck gets him in trouble with the law, he’s given the choice of going to jail or to

Camp Green Lake.Camp Green Lake’s philosophy

is making the kids do hard labor. The camp makes the bad boys dig holes all day in the hot Texas sun, in hopes that it will turn them into good boys. But there is a rea-son why the warden at the camp has the boys do this; something that Stanley later learns that it has a connection with his family’s curse.A good book comes in different

genres, all from adventure, fan-tasy, horror, drama, romance, etc. But the older we get, it seems like we have less time to read some-thing for our personal enjoyment. We hardly have time to do as-signed reading for class.During this upcoming break, it

will be a good time for you to sit down and read that book that is collecting dust on your shelf. That one book you would always read every summer.Take a moment to visit Narnia,

Hogwarts or bask in the heat of Camp Green Lake. You don’t have to leave your house and waste gas to go on an adventure this winter break.

www.tvccnewsjournal.com

Lis Valencia Editor-in-Chief

Photo Illustrations: Lis Valencia/ News JournalGrowing up, most people can name a book series that always left them on the edge of their seats, wanting to

know more.

Stories from the past

News-Journal

Opinion/Editorial 3

Campus/National NewsNews-Journal4

www.tvccnewsjournal.com November 19, 2012

Campus and Community News Campus

Read Through the ValleyRead Through The

Valley will be hosting one more events this se-mester.

•A Football Actions and Highlights film will be shown on Nov. 28 from 1-3 p.m. at the Gibbs Building in rooms 108, 119, and 208.

The Ark The Ark, located

right across campus on S Prairieville Street, offers free lunch for college students every Monday and Wednes-day. They also offer Internet and TV access as well as games like ping-pong and pool and places to study.

Collegiate MinistryThe Collegiate Min-

istry is located right across campus, on FM 2494, next to the Ki-wanis Park. They offer free lunch for college students every Tuesday and Thursday. They also offer bible study and places for students to study and relax.

Student Government

Student Government meetings will take place every Tuesday in the cafeteria conference room at 12:15 p.m. They will have free lunch at the meetings.Faculty Evaluations

Faculty evaluations will be going on through Nov. 20 and for every

evaluation you submit, you will be entered to win 1-of-4 $100 Visa gift cards.

Food DriveThere will be a food

drive on Nov. 29 in the Cardinal Gym at 6 p.m.

Student Music Recitals

The music depart-ment will be having student recitals in the Fine Arts Building in Room 112 on Fridays. There is no admission for the recitals and they are open to the public.

Late Night Breakfast

On Dec. 5, student ac-tivities will be hosting a late night breakfast in the cafeteria at 10 p.m.

15th annual Turkey TrotThe 15th Annual Tur-

key Trot will be at the Cain Center on Thanks-giving day from 8 a.m. to noon.

The types of races are a 5 k or a 1 mile run/walk.

Participants are al-lowed to bring their dogs, but they must be

kept on a leash at all times. A separate reg-istration form must be filed out for dog that are participating in the event. Fees are $10 for dogs, which includes a bandana;$ 20 for early registration; $ 22 for early walk-in registra-tion; and $25 for regis-

tration the day of the race.

All entrants are en-couraged to bring any non-perishable canned good or a dry-food item. All donations will go to the Athens Food Pan-try.

Tasha Walker-Carroll

Every year, at the end of the fall semes-ter, Trinity Valley Community College art students put on an art show to showcase their work.

This semester, the drawing one classes will be doing a Don Stuart-type tangled cardinal, painting one classes will be doing a famous piece of art-work from many well-known artists from the past like Rem-

brandt and Picasso. The design classes will be doing hand-printed collages of paper with a cardinal. All of these works of art from the students will show a cardinal in some way.

The art that will be displayed is not just for show. There will be a silent auction, and people can purchase a beautiful piece of car-dinal art. The artwork for the silent auction has been donated by

the art students, and all the proceeds from the silent auction will be used for scholar-ships and to support unbudgeted art de-partment projects.

This year's free art show will be from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 28 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 29 in the cafeteria conference room.

Tasha Walker-Carroll

Annual Cardinal Art Show

Art--continued from page 1--

The gallery also offers several com-munity events throughout the year.

“I do workshops, one is a free chil-dren’s workshop for ages 5-12 where everything is provided, which I do monthly,” Barrett said. “The next one will be Dec. 8.”

Adults also have an opportunity to participate in a workshop hosted by the gallery.

“Monthly workshops for adults are also provided,” Barrett added. “The next one being Nov. 28. There will be a fee of $35 for the class with all sup-plies included.”

Semi-private classes are also avail-able on Thursdays for $25 and all supplies are provided. To sign up for one of Barrett’s classes, contact her at

903-880-8346.Cheryl Hicks, one of 211's co-op art-

ists, offers creative writing and mix-media classes on Wednesdays. To sign-up for one of Hicks' classes, call her at the gallery at 903-292-1746.

In March, the 211 plans to host an art competition for local students. All of the winning art pieces will be dis-played in the gallery for two weeks.

“This will give us a chance to help promote our local students and help them get more interested in art,” Bar-rett said. “It will also give us a chance to showcase local student talent.”

For more information about show-ing deadlines and other gallery events, contact the 211 Gallery at 903-292-1746.

A few days after the election for president, several states made peti-tions, requesting to peaceful break away from the United States.

Louisiana was the first petition made up and many new ones have come up each day. Louisiana's petition reads: "We petition the Obama Ad-ministration to: Peacefully grant the State of Louisiana to withdraw from the United States of America and cre-ate its own NEW government."

According to www.petitions.white-house.gov/petitions, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky, In-diana, and North Dakota all used the some petition as Louisiana, but those states submitted their petitions be-tween Nov. 9 and 10.

On Nov. 9, Texas made a petition up, too, it read: "We petition the Obama Administration to: Peacefully grant the State of Texas to withdraw from the United States of America and cre-ate its own NEW government.

On the same day as Texas, Alabama made a petition up, too, that read: "We petition the Obama Administration: Peacefully grant the State of Alabama to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW gov-ernment."

North Carolina, Mississippi, Ken-tucky, Indiana, North Dakota, Michi-gan, South Carolina, New York, Colo-rado, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri,

and New Jersey petitions have said nearly the same thing. Many others states have followed since then, both southern and northern states. A total of 34 petitions have sprung up since Nov. 7.

According to www.petitions.white-house.gov/petitions, as of Nov. 13, Louisiana had 28,534; Texas 71,752; Alabama 19,983; North Carolina 18,862; Florida 21,433; Kentucky 12,443; Georgia 20,244 and 9,527; Mississippi 12,466; Indiana 13,080; Montana 9,693; North Dakota 8,687; South Dakota 1,592; New Jersey 9,773; Pennsylvania 7,769 and 2,632; Arizona 11,947; Utah 4,160 and 921; Ohio 1,333 and 5,523; Virginia 1,782; Nebraska 2,074; Alaska 3,007; Kansas 2,969; Oklahoma 11,236 and 3,900; Wyoming 4,222; Delaware 4,646; Cali-fornia 5,644; Nevada 6,087; Oregon 10,233; Colorado 14,269; New York 11,175 and 4,317; South Carolina 15,282 and 11,055; Michigan 13,057; Arkansas 14,637; Missouri 13,377 and 10,152; and Tennessee 19,368.

These numbers have been going up each day, and they have a month from when they start the petition to get the 25,000 signature for each state to be considered.

The petitions cannot be searchable until they get 150 signature. That is why some states have more than one petition. All states may not get 25,000 signatures, but some states may get more.

34 states petition to break away from United States

Tasha Walker-CarrollStaff Writer

Campus/Local NewsNovember 19, 2012 www.tvccnewsjournal.com News-Journal

5

Winter Break Starts Dec. 14

Student Services has been making some big chang-es this semester under the new leadership of Dr. Jay Kinzer. Students have all noticed the changes with Cardinal Cash and other dining services, but there is a lot more going on behind the scenes to benefit the students at TVCC.

Dr. Kinzer started working at TVCC on June 1. His most recent job was at the Oklahoma State Uni-versity branch in Oklahoma City, where he was vice president for student services for more than three years.

Before going to OSU, he was at Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., where he worked in several different positions over a span of ten years before finally having the opportunity to move to student services.

“I instantly realized that, that was where I want-ed to be,” Kinzer said. “I love working directly with the students and being able to really make a differ-ence in the students' ability to be successful in the classroom and outside the classroom.”

Kinzer described Rose State College as being very similar to the rural environment and campus here at Trinity Valley, and that really attracted him to this area after working at a larger school for several years.

“It feels like home here to me,” Kinzer said when asked how the transition from OSU to TVCC has been. “I’m really happy to be a part of the Cardinal family; great things are happening here.”

Dr. Kinzer was very pleased with the direction that student services was moving toward when he

got here. “President Forgey and Dr. Drumgoole [W.P. “Rip” Drumgoole, the previous vice presi-dent of student services for more than twenty years who lost his battle to cancer in 2011] have really developed a strong foundation for student success,” Kinzer said. “I did not want to come in and make a lot of changes that may not be necessary and damp-er successes that were already happening.”

There are 12 departments that fall under student services: financial aid, student activities, campus dining, residential life, registrar's office, testing of-fice, school relations, guidance center, CAPS Pro-gram, judicial affairs, international students and enrollment management.

One way Kinzer is trying to find out what students are wanting has been by creating different commit-tees of students, so he can know exactly what the student population wants to see happen on campus.

There has also been many changes within student life. “We are trying to get students more involved on campus and engaged in the community,” Kinzer said.

One way they are making this happen was by cre-ating a new position, executive director of student life. That person is over student activities, which includes, intramural sports, SGA and student orga-nizations.

Another new position that has been implemented has been the director of housing. That person over-sees all the residential halls on campus. They are also in charge of residence life, which is all about creating a community within the dorms. Dr.Kinzer added that the housing director is responsible for, “Creating opportunities with the residence for stu-dents to get involved and engage and meet other

people and have opportunity.”Student Services has come up with a plan to ap-

proach existing programs and for creating new pro-grams within their department, Kinzer said.

They want to provide clear pathways to success, set high expectations, provide high quality support, give student opportunities to provide feedback and engage students on campus and in the community.

There are many things that are on the agenda in the student services department that are slated to be implemented soon.

“We are looking at our orientation program,” Kinzer has created another group that has been looking at orientation and giving feedback on some ways to enhance it. One recommendation has been to make it a requirement for all students to attend orientation.

“The purpose is to help students be successful by putting them on the right track from day one, so they know what is expected of them and they can understand clearly what they need to do to be suc-cessful,” Kinzer said.

Students can also anticipate changes within the registration process in the future. “We are looking at our registration process and seeing what kind of things that may need to be tweaked,” Kinzer added. “The process works, but I think it may need to be tweaked so the process is easier.”

Kinzer wants students to understand when they register what classes they are in and why and also have a clear layout of the classes they need to achieve their desired degree.

Kinzer added: “Keep your eyes and ears open on campus because we have many opportunities for students to get involved.”

Carley ShultzStaff Writer

Big changes in Student Services

We all know that food plays a big role in our holiday season, especial-ly the turkey. Greenberg Smoked Turkey Inc. has been famous for master-ing this holiday staple since the 1940s.

While the turkey has not always been a staple Thanksgiving food, it definitely is in today’s society. Many people

even refer to Thanksgiv-ing as turkey day.

Greenberg Smoked Turkey Inc., famous for their smoked turkeys, is practically in our back-yard with its headquar-ters located in Tyler, Texas.

According to the Greenberg's website, Samuel Isaac Greenberg use to smoke turkeys for his close family and friends in the corner of

his dairy barn, and news spread about his deli-cious-tasting turkey. He received his first order from a fam-ily in Dallas, and as they say, the rest is history.

Many fam-ilies all over the U.S. look forward to this local

treat every year. They currently sell around

2 0 0 , 0 0 0 turkeys a year, peak-ing during T h a n k s -giving and Christmas time, but they are also very p o p u l a r around oth-

er holidays like Easter.

These turkeys were even endorsed by Oprah and named one of her favorite things in a 2003 show. After this public-ity, sales of the turkeys skyrocketed, and they have been popular ever since.

To order one of these famous turkeys, their online website is www.gobblegobble.com. They offer turkeys from 6 lbs. to 16 lbs with prices

ranging from $30.80 to $78.20. When ordering online people can choose what week they would like their turkey to be delivered.

Greenberg also offers numerous recipes that are perfect for turkey day leftovers, so people can enjoy their Green-berg turkey for days, or until it is all gone.

www.tvccnewsjournal.com

World-famous turkey right in our backyardCarley Shultz

Staff Writer

Local News

FeatureNews-Journal6

www.tvccnewsjournal.com November 19, 2012

Join us for Preview Friday!Designed with you in mind, Preview Friday allows you to

mingle with other transfer students and learn about:

• How the transfer process works• Financial aid and scholarship opportunities

• The Comet Connection tuition guarantee • Campus life

You’ll also have the chance to talk one-on-one with an advisor in your major. Choose the date you’d like to attend:

RSVP at utdallas.edu/enroll/events. Directions to the UT Dallas campus available at utdallas.edu/directions.

Oct. 19, 2012Nov. 9, 2012Feb. 1, 2013

Feb. 15, 2013

REGISTER NOW

FeatureNovember 19, 2012 www.tvccnewsjournal.com News-Journal

7

(StatePoint) The holidays are all about tradition, and there’s no better way to evoke the spirit of the season in your holiday baking than by highlighting every crowd’s favorite flavor -- vanilla. From vanilla flavored snaps to biscotti, you can give the classics a fresh, bold twist this year.

Vanilla doesn’t have to be boring!“For too long, vanilla has been misunderstood as

plain, taking on only a supporting role in recipes,” says Shauna Seer, author of the new cookbook “Pure Vanilla: Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques.” “With the right recipe, vanilla can really shine through -- even in traditional holiday baking.”

Sever contends that the way to do this is to use whole vanilla beans and full-flavored pure vanilla extract, steering clear of the imitation variety. Even chocolate lovers will be tripping over each other for seconds and thirds.

For some sweet holiday inspiration, try whipping up light and airy Vanilla Sugar Puffs using this simple recipe from Sever.

Vanilla Sugar Puffs(Makes about 30 two-inch puffs)For the dough:1/2 cup whole milk

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small piec-

es2 tablespoons granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted5 large eggs, at room temperature1/2 teaspoon vanilla extractFor decorating:1 large egg1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extractPinch salt

Swedish pearl sugar, to taste• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the

oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two bak-ing sheets with parchment paper.

• In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, combine milk, 1/2 cup water, vanilla bean, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring oc-casionally. Carefully remove vanilla bean and scrape remaining seeds into liquid. Bring to a boil. Add flour, lower heat to medium and begin stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the pan and form a loose ball. Keep stirring for about two minutes to dry the dough.

• Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in eggs, one at a time on medium speed. Beat in vanilla extract. Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about two inches of space between dollops.

• In a small bowl, beat together egg, vanilla extract, salt and 1 teaspoon water until well blended. Brush each puff with this egg wash and sprinkle generously with pearl sugar.

• Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate sheets from top to bottom and front to bake. Continue baking until deep-ly golden and sound hollow when their crisp exteriors are tapped, another 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer puffs to a wire rack to cool before serving.

For additional information and recipes, visit www.QuirkBooks.com.

Whether you’re baking holiday cookies or brewing up hot drinkable desserts, ‘tis the season for vanilla.

Yummy holiday baking ideas

Arts & EntertainmentNews-Journal8

www.tvccnewsjournal.com November 19, 2012

The new guilty pleasureSadness will be seen around the world as the

"Twilight" saga comes to an end. The love story be-tween Edward and Bella will be over soon. If you’re looking for a new movie or TV series to replace the "Twilight" saga, then look no more.

If sexy vampires, love triangles and werewolves is what you’re looking for, then the TV series "Vam-pire Diaries," which is in its fourth season, will be your new obsession. "Vampire Diaries" has a star-studded cast that consists of your typical evil and good characters.

Nina Dobrev plays Elena Gilbert in the series. Elena is the protagonist, she has the heart of both Salvatore brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Da-mon (Ian Somerhalder), but her true love is Stefan.

Even though she loves Stefan, throughout the sea-son she has expressed feelings and even shared a kiss with Damon.

Stefan is the good brother. And he is the typical loving boyfriend whom you can always trust, but who also has his rebellious moments where his lust for human blood gets the best of him.

Damon, the once evil brother, is now turning good. He was first introduced as the evil brother who wanted to take Elena away from his brother, Stefan. But throughout the seasons, he has evolved into a caring character.

Damon has been slowly winning the heart of Ele-na. His love for Elena makes him care and express his feelings more. He is the opposite of what Stefan character is described as. He is a risk-taker and is always willing to try new things which is why Elena is attracted to him.

If sexy vampires aren’t what you’re looking for then don’t worry because vampire diaries also con-sist of witches and werewolves.

Kat Graham plays Bonnie Bennett the witch of Mystic Falls. Throughout the season, her friendship with Elena has been tested with many unexplain-

able events, but they have always managed to over-come it and continue to be best friends.

Bonnie has developed more power as she discov-ers new things. Her powers have been expressed through stopping a vampire, killing one and even throwing one across the room.

The hybrid (vampire/werewolf) is played by Mi-chael Trevino. Trevino plays Tyler Lockwood who was first introduced as a football-jock that, at times, could act like a complete jerk. He later turned into a more interesting character when he falls in love and starts acting well.

If you’re a fan of the "Twilight" Saga, then "Vam-pire Diaries" will be your new cup of tea. "Vampire Dairies" comes with a variety of characters that will fit any person of the family.

Tune into the CW network every Thursday night to see what new things Elena is up to, or to see who she ends up picking. Will it be good brother Stefan or bad-brother-turned-good Damon?

Kazandra GutierrezStaff Writer

Courtesy: vampire-diaries.netIf sexy vampires, love triangles and werewolves is what you’re looking for then the TV series "Vampire Diaries" will be your new obsession. The Vampire Diaries is currently in its fourth season.

Arts & EntertainmentNovember 19, 2012 www.tvccnewsjournal.com News-Journal

9

ABC’s "Once Upon A Time" is a grip-ping series that takes fairy tales that most have grown up listening to, and throwing these storybook characters into the grips of reality in the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine.Snow White's step mother (Lana

Parrilla) puts a curse on the good fairy characters, sending them to a world with no happy endings. The characters ultimately forget who they really are.The only way to break to curse is up

to Charmin (Josh Dallas) and Snow White's (Ginnifer Goodwin) daughter, Emma (Jennifer Morrison). To get her out of their land of fairy tale and on her 28th birthday, she will break the curse.The curse is broken and the char-

acters remember, but they are still stuck in Storybrooke. The only prob-lem, what to do now that curse has

been broken?Now in its second season, Emma

and Snow have been transported to the fairy-tale world and have teamed with Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Au-rora (Sarah Bolger) to find a way back to Storybrooke, and before Regina’s [Snow’s step-mother] mother, can find a way into Storybrooke.Though it will be revealed, the series

will not only focus on fairy tales. In an interview with Entertainment Week-ly, creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horawitz, they plan to include sev-eral fictional stories and characters.In episode five of season two, the

writer made the fairy-tale characters have a connection to Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein characters.Who knows who else will make an

appearance his season show, who will Snow and Emma meet along their journey to find a way back to Story-brooke. Once Upon A Time airs on ABC,

check local listings for airtime.

Lis Valencia Editor-in-Chief

Courtesy: abc.comOnce upon a time tells a story where Snow Whites step mother (Lana Parrilla) puts a curse on the good fairy characters, sending them to a world with no happy endings.

'Once Upon a Time': Not too old for fairy tales

The final installment is here! The "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" was released Nov. 16. The world-wide phenomenon is finally com-ing to an end.

Though for some fans, Edward, Jacob and Bel-la’s departure will be bittersweet. But in reality, these beloved characters made their departure in 2008, when Stephenie Meyer released the fi-nal book in the "Twilight" series.

So, I hate to break the news, but Bella and Edward's story was over before the first movie was released in theaters.

Many people really have missed out on the se-ries because they strictly watched the movies in-stead of reading the books. I personally wanted to write an angry letter to Summit Entertain-ment when they released "Twilight" in theaters. Many scenes that fans had fallen in love with were cut out. And some of the actors who por-trayed the characters were completely off.

Sometimes I wonder if the actors are famous for their role, or of the criticism they get on a daily basis has fueled their fame.

Now I have to admit, the movie is never going to be like the book. And each movie has gotten better, not perfect but better.

So am I glad that it’s over?

Really, I’m over it; I said my goodbye in 2008 and really just grew up.

Now, I may not own every single piece of "Twi-light" merchandise. Edward and Bella will be two character that I cherish, but it’s time to put them to rest.

It doesn’t mean I can’t make the occasional visit and re-read the series; but hopefully, I will. But not during a time when the movie franchise is history. I guess you can say I'm a true fan. Well, at least of the book.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 2" is in theaters now. Check local listing for time.

www.tvccnewsjournal.com

Lis Valencia Editor-in-Chief

Breaking Dawn Part 2: The final chapter

News-Journal10 Sports

www.tvccnewsjournal.com November 19, 2012

FOOTBALLThree players were named to the first team of the

All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference team.

Two Cardinal defenders Kewan Alfred and Quin-cy Russell, both sophomores, received first-team honors.

Nykiren Wellington, an offensive lineman who transferred from Texas Christian University, was also named first-team.

The Cardinals also had five more players named to the second team, sophomore center Shawn McK-inney; freshman linebacker Davonte McMillian; redshirt freshman Josh Scroggins; freshman punter Sam Fowler; and sophomore kicker Saul Martinez.

M-BASKETBALLThe Cardinals played Team Elevate Nov. 17, win-

ning 88-60. The Cards will play San Jacinto in Pasa-dena at 7 p.m. Nov. 20. They will play at home Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. against Weatherford.

On Nov. 14, Dominique Elliot signed with the University of Oklahoma.

W-BASKETBALLFor the third straight year, the Lady Cards won

the WNIT, beating Midland College 66-63.Shannon Smith was named MVP, and Krystle

Henderson was named to the all-tourney team. The next game will be home Nov. 21, against Weather-ford at Cardinal Gym at 4 p.m.

VOLLEYBALLThe Lady Cardinals volleyball team historic sea-

son came to an end after they were eliminated from the Region XIV Volleyball Tournament at Lee Col-lege, ending their season at 18-12.

RODEOThe men's rodeo team is ranked fourth in the Na-

tional Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southern Region. The team has earned 1,409 points, after competing in the Nov. 8-10 Sam Houston State Ro-deo in Conroe.

In team roping, Lightning Nicolas Aguilera is ranked No.1 in the region and Kolby Ryan Miller is in first place in the team roping heeling standings.

The Lady Cardinals off to a great start

The crowd is cheering, there is sad-ness felt around the room, but not the bad sad, the good, where tears of emotion and excitement fill the room with screaming fans.It feels like it was just yesterday

when the Lady Cardinals achieved the indescribable. The Lady Cardi-nals won their sixth national title with a 69-55 win over the unbeaten Hutchinson last season.With the victory of Hutchinson,

the Lady Cardinals would complete a third undefeated season in the school’s history (36-0).After an amazing season in which

the Lady Cardinals defined the say-ing, “hard work pays off,” they are looking to rewrite history once again.The Trinity Valley Community Col-

lege women’s basketball team kicked off their 2012-13 season with a win against McLennan Community Col-lege, 81-55.Against McLennan, Adut Bulgak led

the Lady Cardinals with 27 points. Shlonte’ Allen who was the top scorer against Temple got 12 points. Savan-

nah Carter had 13, Shannon Smith 10 and Bulgak 9.The win against McLennan would

only foreshadow what was to come for the start of what the Lady Cardinals season.The fourth-ranked Lady Cardinals

were a 78-58 winner against the Aus-tralian Junior National Team and the Lady Cardinals also scored a 99-60 decision against the Texas Riders.The Lady Cardinals are currently

8-0, after winning their 44th straight game dating back to last season last night against the College of Southern Idaho to open the Midland College National Invitation Tournament on Thursday.The Lady Cardinals got 16 points

and 10 rebounds from Julianne An-chling. Shlonte’ Allen got 15 points, Shannon Smith,14, and Roddricka Patton, 10, who also scored in double figures for the Lady Cardinals.The Lady Cardinals started the sea-

son with a fresh new perspective, having a new coach in charge and new girls on the court.Elena Lovato is the Lady Cards new

coach, but she is no stranger to the program, having been the interim

coach in 2009 for TVCC Lady Cardi-nals.The fourth-ranked Trinity Valley

Community College Lady Cardinals have proven to be in a great moment despite their only one returning play-er off last year’s 36-0 squad, Keiana Vines who suffered a knee injury dur-

ing the preseason workouts and is now out for the season.The Lady Cardinals recently won

the WNIT for the third straight year, defeating Midland College 66-63 for the title. Shannon Smith was named MVP of the tourney and Krystle Hen-derson made the all-tourney team.

Kazandra GutierrezStaff Writer

The Trinity Valley Community College women’s basketball team kicked off their 2012-13 season with a win against McLennan Community College,

Courtesy: Chalisa Madsen

SportsNovember 19, 2012 www.tvccnewsjournal.com News-Journal

11

Kazandra GutierrezStaff Writer

Ronaldo or Messi: Who's better?

For several years, there has been several debates regarding who the best soccer player in the world is.

Some people argue that nothing compares to the soccer legends like Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane or Pele/ Edison Arantes, others say that Cristiano Ron-aldo or Lionel Messi has surpassed them.

But is there really any competition? Now who

can resist Ronaldo’s good looks and that amazingly fit body that he has, well almost every soccer cri-tique in the world.

In 2008 Ronaldo won the FiFa Ballon d'Or, this is the highest individual trophy any player can re-ceive. It is awarded to the player that performed the best in the previous season.

As of that year everyone saw Ronaldo’s name en-graved amongst the legends of soccer, but then came 2009 when Messi won the FiFa Ballon d'Or then 2010 and 2011 when he won it again.

This is when the sports critiques and media around the world started to make a lot of buzz. Ron-aldo was seen as the next big thing that would have also receive the other 3 trophy’s, but that didn’t hap-pen instead a new star arose and started making the tabloids wild.Ronaldo considerably offers more to a team then

Messi would. Ronaldo arguably has the whole pack-age, and no I am not talking about good looks, I am talking about that he has the skills, the speed and the height to make him bigger threat when it comes to balls in the air.While Messi has the skills and speed, but lacks the

height, respectively. Messi has seen most of his ca-reer playing in the Spanish soccer team, Barcelona. There he plays alongside Xavi Hernandez and An-dres Iniesta, whom I believe serve as his support system.When Messi plays alongside Xavi and Iniesta he is

unstoppable, this is because he has two of the top 10 best players in the world playing by his side. But when he plays with his National team Argentina he isn’t as brilliant because he doesn’t have that strong of a support system playing by his side.Messi can arguably be considered the best player

to have ever lived, but until he shows that he can play both for his national team, Argentina and for his league team, Barcelona at the same rate then he will still come second for me.

Column

Sports

Princess, a math major from Fresno, Calif., transferred to A&M-Commerce because she wanted more from her education.

Here, she’s found her niche in the math depart-ment thanks to Calculus professors like Dr. Dorsett who encouraged her to put her best into the class, as well as the other classes she was taking at the time.

“I would love to use math everyday I’m at work,” Princess said. “I don’t know exactly what I plan to do with my degree but I’m confident I will find a career path that’s best for me.”

Outside of class, Princess is a member of the New Beginnings Multicultural Gospel Choir where she’s made several new friends that help keep her grounded.

“At A&M-Commerce, I’ve become more disciplined and well organized. I’ve gotten better at prioritiz-ing my time and separating social time with studying time. I’m really trying to obtain and keep a high GPA,” she said. “Looking ahead, I hope to get involved in more math and academic-based organizations on campus, and just have a fun college experience.”

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WWW.TAMUC.EDU • 903.886.5000 or 888.868.2682A Member of The Texas A&M University System

SCAN thiS QR CODE To learn more about Princess, watch her video profile and learn how Texas A&M University-Commerce can change your future.

www.tvccnewsjournal.com November 19, 2012 News-Journal Page 12