By Jon Parton
Morton College announced Friday that Dana Grove was selected as that school’s new president. Grove, executive vice president, Educational Planning and Development and chief operating officer, has served at JCCC since 2005. Morton College, a community college, is located in Cicero, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.
By Mac Moore
Sometimes we wonder about our mortality. We are humans; this is what we do.
Tim McGraw enlightens us that his personal philosophy on living like he was dying involves skydiving and Rocky Mountain climbing. No telling how much simple country rhyme schemes influenced his bucket list, but it is a good question. What would you do if you had a day, a week or a month to live?
The topic really gets interesting when it’s no longer just our mortality, but instead the mortality of the entire world. That’s the whole point of the discussion about the end of the Mayan calendar.
Of course, few people truly believe Dec. 21 is a discernible expiration date, even if that’s what my current milk carton reads. The indie gem “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” decides to delve into the mess that would be created if humanity knew the exact end of times. The plot struck me as the antithesis to the film “Armageddon.” It’s like what would have happened if that movie was realistic and Ben Affleck just died.
The opening of the film shows Dodge and Linda Petersen (real-life couple Steve and Nancy Carell) parked in their car along the side of the road. The radio is playing a news report that the space shuttle Deliverance, man’s final hope against the impending asteroid Matilda, has failed and the giant space rock is going to crash into Earth in 21 days. As Dodge is still reeling from the news, Linda immediately exits the vehicle and goes running into the darkness and out of her agreement of “‘til death” three weeks prematurely.
Dodge remains relatively stable as the world seems to go to hell around him rather quickly. At work the boss announces “casual Fridays from now on,” and with false happiness seeks a volunteer to take over as CFO of the company.
Dodge’s maid continues to come over to clean the house as if she is completely unaware of the world’s impending doom. His middle-age friends have started an endless party where the kids are chugging martinis and formerly well-functioning adults are giddily trying heroin for the first time.
Dodge wants none of this and attempts to keep relative normalcy in his final days; that is until he notices his neighbor, Penny (Keira Knightly), crying on the fire escape. He comforts her as she tells him of her selfishness that has caused her to waste her life on men and probably never see her family again. They are in England and the airlines have all shut down. He invites her in, to which she responds, “I promise not to steal anything if you promise not to rape me.”
This eventually leads to Penny giving Dodge two bits of information: his wife has been cheating on him, and Penny has collected a stack of his mail inadvertently placed in her mailbox over the years. The mail contains a letter from his high school sweetheart, Olivia, the “one that got away.”
In the midst of a riot that breaks out at their apartment complex, Dodge gets Penny to leave with him to find Olivia in exchange for the promise that he knows some guy with a plane who can fly her across the pond. The story is off as the two attempt to find a woman he hasn’t seen in two decades.
What starts out as an extremely dark comedy veers back to being a traditional romantic comedy. The movie makes sure to use the powerful thematic tool of mortality to blunt any “Pride and Prejudice”-ness over the head. The balanced is sustained through much of the film.
In many indie comedies like this, the humor starts to die as the plot thickens. I feel this movie lessens the workload of the main characters and puts the comedy imperative on the bit players who pop into the film.
Dodge and Penny start to exchange personal details about themselves while eating at a TGI Friday’s-style restaurant where all the employees and patrons are tripping on ecstasy. Later a no-nonsense cop continues to fill his quota despite pleas from Penny to ignore her traffic violations, because, well, you know, there is an asteroid about to annihilate humanity.
“Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” raises the questions nobody thinks they need to answer today: am I on the right track? Are these things really important? Would I be so frivolous if I knew how much time was left? Also, what would we really do when we near the end: party or panic, love or lust? Maybe just sleep.
Yeah, I choose sleep.
Contact Mac Moore, sports editor, at mmoore82@jccc.edu.
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By Mac Moore
In the early morning hours of Dec. 1, Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend to death, the mother of his 3-month-old child, at their Kansas City home. Belcher then went to the Chiefs’ practice facility where he was confronted by the head coach, the general manager, and the linebackers coach. When the police arrived, Belcher turned the gun on himself, taking his own life.
Life is tough. We are all constantly faced with making choices, constantly filled with emotions that stem from not only our decisions but also the decisions of others. The ability to cope with the hailstorm of life-denting interactions is where many of us differ. We have different support systems, different chemical balances in the brain, different life experiences that shape the lens we use to view the world.
Dissecting what would lead a man to take the life of his significant other and then his own is very complicated and nuanced. The discussion of depression always comes up in tragedies involving suicide and the topic filled up Twitter feeds after the incident. Early indications, however, would suggest that the suicide was likely a decision made in reaction to the murder. That said, I would also suggest that anybody who shot the mother of their 3-month-old baby couldn’t have been in the right state of mind.
Former Kansas City Star reporter Jason Whitlock quickly shifted the argument toward gun control. His sentiment was echoed by Bob Costas during the halftime show of the Sunday night game. This gathered the national attention on that aspect of the tragedy. Without missing a beat, the pro-/anti-Second Amendment voices filled the social consciousness. Local news filled up Monday’s coverage with whatever gun-related story they could find. Soon, we will question whether the effects of football on the brain, including concussions, led to this situation.
It should not be so predictable. This unforeseen tragedy should not stop being shocking within hours. The reporters knew the timeline. As they waited for the police to officially release the details, they started the circular coverage. The public was asked, “Should the Chiefs play this game on Sunday?”
For a second I almost bought in. Quickly I remembered: of course they are going to play. Sept. 11, 2001 stopped football; nothing else. Obviously the decision would immediately be second-guessed. The Chiefs’ victory could not be scripted, except that the glory stories were already written just in case. So we enjoy the positive outcome in the face of an epic heartbreak; afterward we will find any way to lay the blame for this tragedy. Then we will move on with our day.
It is crazy, but it is the truth. It became routine so quickly that all it worked at doing was adding one more mind-numbing event to our psyche. The coverage should have stopped where it began. A 25-year-old male killed his 22-year-old girlfriend before taking his own life. The couple was survived by a 3-month-old child.
As a society we have to respond to that event in a productive manner without speculation on various topics diluting the tragedy. The Chiefs have already started a fund for the little girl, Zoey. Hopefully they follow through and make sure the girl gets a happy home, whether that is with a relative, etcetera. Everything else is irrelevant right now.
Contact Mac Moore, sports editor, at mmoore82@jccc.edu.
By Mackenzie Clark
If you listen closely at the next Board of Trustees meeting, you may hear the faint remnants of a Boston accent. This voice belongs to David Lindstrom, third district Johnson County Commissioner and the newest member of the Board.
The Board of Trustees selected Lindstrom from a pool of five candidates at a special meeting on Saturday, Nov. 17. Although this is typically an elected position, the unexpected resignation of former trustee Don Weiss necessitated an application and selection process.
Lindstrom grew up in Boston, Mass. with six brothers. He is eternally grateful to his father’s commitment to education.
“[My father] took the job [as a groundskeeper at Boston University] because he knew he couldn’t afford to send his kids to college, and he knew that a college education was very important,” Lindstrom said. “That’s a gift that my brothers and I will never forget.”
Lindstrom graduated from Boston University in 1976 with a degree in education. After playing football throughout high school and college, he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 1977. In 1978, he became a player for the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I went from east coast to west coast to the center of the heartland,” Lindstrom said. “My wife and I love it here in the Midwest and as long as it’s our choice, we plan on staying here.”
Lindstrom retired from football in 1986 and began a career in business. He owned four Burger King restaurants until he sold them in 2011.
Lindstrom thanks Jim Otto, a former player for the Oakland Raiders, for the advice that inspired him to pursue ownership of Burger King: persistence pays off.
“I don’t think I would’ve gotten by the first stage if it weren’t for being persistent, and for his advice,” Lindstrom said.
Lindstrom became involved in politics when then Kansas State Treasurer Tim Shallenburger asked Lindstrom to join him as his lieutenant governor in the 2002 gubernatorial election, which they lost to Kathleen Sebelius.
“When we weren’t successful in that statewide campaign, I was approached about applying for an open seat on the County Commission,” Lindstrom said.
He was selected through a process Board used last month and is currently finishing out his second full elected term. He has decided not to run for reelection.
“I didn’t have an interest in politics; I had a tremendous interest in my community,” he said. “Based on that passion that I had for where I live, and the fact that I have a philosophy that when you are given much, you are expected to give back. I’ve always felt compelled to give back to my community. […] I’ve never really had a burning desire to be in elected office, but I have had a burning desire to serve.”
Lindstrom said his decision to apply for the college’s Board came from encouragement from friends.
“I thought about it, and thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about the college,” he said. “Most people in this community understand the value of the college and I certainly am among that population. I look at this as an opportunity for me to be a steward of a community asset and also, selfishly, to learn more about what the college actually does.”
No stranger to the college, Lindstrom has previously served on the Athletic Advisory Board, the advisory for the Regnier Center and the Foundation board. He is also aware of challenges facing the college.
First, Lindstrom said, he believes the Board needs to focus on working within the college’s current financial restraints. Secondly, but “as important,” is selecting a suitable replacement for retiring college president Terry Calaway. Lastly, he wishes to work to maintain the college’s standard: “Learning comes first.”
Jon Stewart, trustee, has known Lindstrom for “a number of years,” and looks forward to working with him.
“He’s a very good person; he has a really good perspective, good heart,” Stewart said. “I think he’ll be a very good trustee that keeps the interest of the college first.”
Jason Osterhaus, fourth district Johnson County Commissioner, echoed Stewart’s sentiments.
“It’s been a joy working with Dave, because I have witnessed his dedication to serving others in his time as commissioner,” he said. I know he will take that same spirit with him as he starts his new role as trustee.”
Lindstrom will be present at the next Board meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13 in the Polsky Theatre. His term expires June 30, 2015.
Contact Mackenzie Clark, editor-in-chief, at mclark68@jccc.edu.
By David Hurtado
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? College students armed with ghost detecting tools, of course.
Students enrolled in Sean Daley’s Anthropology of the Paranormal and Supernatural class embarked on a trip to the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Ark. The hotel was previously used as a women’s college and cancer hospital.
Daley, associate professor, Anthropology, said he chose the location because of its reputation and the experiences it would provide to students as part of a class activity.
“Me and some of my colleagues had the opportunity to go down there over this past summer and we had a good experience down there,” he said. “The hotel management was willing to work with us and allow us to bring students in. It’s a place with a good reputation for having paranormal phenomena.”
Daley said when the building was being utilized as a hospital for people stricken with cancer, at least several hundred patients died within its walls. During the hotel’s time as a women’s college, a student hung herself. He also said a few construction workers died during the building’s construction.
Rachel Berry, student, said she went on the academic trip because of her interest in the paranormal. She also said previous trips Daley’s class took were more local and less advertised than the Crescent Hotel.
“I’m really interested in studying anything anthropology, especially when it comes to paranormal [activity],” Berry said. “I had heard a lot of things about the hotel, like that it was haunted or that there was stuff going on there. I thought it would be pretty interesting to go out somewhere that was a little bit more well-known for things like that.”
Students attending the paranormal endeavor were divided into groups of five or six and then placed with a chaperone in different sections of the hotel. Students were outfitted with thermal imaging cameras and flashlights and spent about an hour in different areas before rotating to a new one. The investigations began at 9 p.m. and lasted until 3:30 a.m.
Students also carried K2 meters, which are part of a class of instruments known as electromagnetic field detectors (EMFs). When exposed to a magnetic field, an EMF creates an electrical current within its circuitry. The relative strength of the field is displayed on a 5-LED light-up scale.
“The group I was with, half of them got something; the other half, which I was a part of, did not,” said Andrew Novak, student. “We think we got something; we’re not 100 percent sure yet. We went into room 218, which is supposedly haunted by this guy named Michael, the top floor and around the outsides of the hotel.”
Daley said the class is still sifting through evidence gathered from the hotel, but have already made a discovery from an image taken from a thermal imaging camera. He said in previous trips students have reported seeing small objects move and hearing disembodied voices in rooms no one else was in.
The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) is a professional group of paranormal investigators who attempt to disprove alleged paranormal activity.
“Back in 2005, [TAPS] caught a very famous photo at the Crescent of what looks to be a person standing in front of a walker in the morgue,” he said. “We actually caught the same outline. It was in the same place they caught their outline.”
Daley said he takes students on ghost hunting trips because he wants students to put themselves out in the world and experience different cultures firsthand.
“It’s great to read about different cultures, beliefs and perspectives in books; it’s great to watch videos about it, but you need to get out there and you need to interact with people,” he said. “That’s what anthropologists do. It gives students an opportunity to get out there and interact with people at the hotels, at the museums; take it from the classroom into the real world.
“There’s been a growing interest in the past few years in paranormal research and I want my students who are interested in this to learn how to do it properly. Like anything else, you can go out there and learn how to do it right or you can cut corners. When you’re talking about things like ghosts, demons, aliens, cryptids, things like Bigfoot, most people have a hard time believing in this stuff to begin with.
“If you’re going to go out there and try to capture evidence, you need to make sure you evidence is as legitimate as possible,” Daley said. “I want my students to learn if you’re going to go out and do this stuff, how to do it in such a way that you don’t come across as a joke nor your potential evidence.”
Contact David Hurtado, features editor, at dhurtado@jccc.edu.
Design and illustrations by Morgan Daigneault
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Web-exclusive Review: “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” raises questions of mortality
By David Hurtado
At its inception, the telegraph made little direct impact on most people’s lives. It was a ‘specialist’ technology, owned by companies and operated by professionals, but the indirect impact of the telegraph was substantial.
Today, telecommunications technology has advanced exponentially since Samuel Morse sent the first telegraph message in 1844. Humans can communicate instantly from anywhere on the planet via texting, Facebook, Skype and other mediums. But as technology changes over time, so does society.
Deana Miller, professor, Speech, said she sees texting among younger students out in the hallways after class frequently instead of interacting with people next to them. Miller said she believes this has a negative impact on learning to initiate conversation with other people.
“In some specific young people that I know, if you say call and order a pizza, they’ll say, ‘No, I can do that online. Why would I call and talk to somebody if I can do that online?’” she said. “It is a skill to learn to talk to people and initiate a conversation. It’s easier to do it online or to text. I think that can have a negative impact because you have to learn that skill and practice it.”
Miller said the average American spends an average of 18 hours per week online and 87 percent of teenagers sleep with their cell phone right beside them.
However, she noted this change in the way we communicate is not all bad. If a family member is needed for an emergency, they can be reached quicker than they could have 100 years ago. Likewise, people who live on opposite sides of the world can keep in touch easily.
Toby Klinger, professor, Psychology, said humans crave electronic devices in a similar manner to Pavlov’s experiment with dogs in classical conditioning and B.F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning.
“It gives us information and instant social connection,” Klinger said. “That’s what humans crave, is that connection with others and instant gratification in terms of getting information and responses.”
According to a survey conducted by TeleNav, a technology company, more than half of Americans would rather give up chocolate, alcohol and caffeine for a week than temporarily part with their phones.
Klinger said brain wise; the research shows a change in people’s dopamine circuits. She said there could be more motivation behind being connected with other people. Even if it’s not real interaction, some people have more drive behind that than a stimulant like chocolate, gambling or even sex.
Klinger said according to the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), more research needs to be done before we can know what behavioral problems might stem from an individual’s addiction to technological devices.
“The DSM-V, which helps clinical folks diagnose people if they have a problem, is putting in internet videogames,” she said. “I assume it’s going to increase in terms of how they define the social media stuff as a potential problem, especially in young folks.”
William McFarlane, associate professor and chair, Anthropology, said it’s important to recognize the effect advances in telecommunications technology has had on our society is not inherently bad or good. He said it is how people use technology and the way it impacts us as individuals and how that allows us to interact with each other.
“I think a good place to start is to recognize that making and using tools is something that’s absolutely inherent in humanity; the foundation of what it means to be human,” McFarlane said. “We’ve been doing this for 3.2 million years, making and using tools. I think there’s a tendency to think about technology in really stark good or bad terms.”
McFarlane said in some instances, the introduction of new technology has led to the downfall of certain civilizations. He said this is mostly in the case of colonialism where an advanced technology disrupts the existing social fabric of a people. However, there are some cases where new technology was held exclusively by a few individuals which negatively impacted their society.
“There are a few examples that we can see where societies have fallen apart as a result of the introduction of new technologies,” he said. “But these new technologies are things that are made out of materials that are rare, and therefore are held exclusively by some individuals. As these individuals take on the new technology or these new, rare resources, it destabilizes the relationships between everybody in that society.”
He also added it is “highly unlikely” our phones will rise up and destroy our society from within.
As the nature of warfare has continued to evolve since man first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, so too have telecommunications since the telegraph. Miller said she believes social media and texting are here to stay as means of communication.
“This is just my guess, but I think we’re going to continue down this path for a while,” she said. “It’s become more and more common and it’s easy to pick it up. Hopefully, we won’t lose the art of conversation. It’s really sad because you want to be able to sit down and enjoy conversation with someone.
“You have some of that online, but so much can get lost,” she continued. “In order to be able to read a message, you need to be able to hear the tone of voice, see the eye contact, the facial expression and the posture. Sarcasm in texting– how do you know someone’s being sarcastic when they’re texting? Without those emoticons, that some people don’t use, that’s lost.”
Contact David Hurtado, features editor, at dhurtado@jccc.edu.
By Mac Moore
It’s not often in sports that a team finishes at 32-3, is faced with replacing multiple All-Americans, and still sees a chance to improve the following season. The Lady Cavs squad is currently working toward that possibility.
The team started out this season at an impressive 6-0 and outscored their opponents by an average of 52 points per game. This early domination has propelled the team from seventh in the preseason NJCAA poll to first in the first regular season poll.
This accomplishment is a great sign for the young squad, which before the season saw youth as the biggest obstacle of obtaining a similar record as last season.
“We are a young team but we understand that we have to grow up fast,” sophomore Kathleen Brisbane said.
The numbers have been staggering for the squad. The team is averaging more than 80 points per game and giving up just a tad more than 30. Four players are averaging double figures in scoring, making the team very balanced and difficult for opposing defenses to key on scorers.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons out there,” Ben Conrad, head coach, said. “I wouldn’t want to have to guard our group, especially as our season progresses.”
Conrad does point out that the current numbers are more reflective of strength of schedule than how the numbers will finish up at the end of the year. Right now he is less focused on the specific numbers, more so on the product.
“I think our numbers right now reflect just a talent gap between us and our opponents, to be honest,” Conrad said. “We’re making a real effort during this off week to get right on both ends. We really aren’t even close to scratching the surface of where this team can be later on.”
If the team can make that step towards Conrad’s vision, the ceiling on the team is high. The true test will come as the team enters conference play. The first game of East Jayhawk Conference play will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8 at Highland Community College.
Contact Mac Moore, sports editor, at mmoore82@jccc.edu.
By Mac Moore
I will start this column with a disclaimer. Most editorials, by design, are meant to take a stance and give a call to action. This column will be used much more as a means of loosely informing the public about an issue. I offer no solution as I honestly am not equipped to give you one. Instead here is the story, take from it what you will.
According to USA Today, more than a dozen NFL players have blamed their 2012 drug suspension on Adderall or have been linked to the drug by other players. Other pro sports leagues, including the MLB and NBA, have faced a similarly alarming increase in drug tests involving Adderall. The increase in “claimed” use has some questioning whether this uptick is accurate and others just questioning the seriousness of the issue.
When an NFL player gets suspended for a positive drug test, the league is not allowed by their collective bargaining agreement with the players’ association to release information concerning which drug they tested positive for. The argument is that the players save face by announcing to the press that it was Adderall. The drug carries less social stigma than, say, steroids or HGH. Considering the NFL is not allowed to refute the claims, this seems to be a great PR move.
This accusation might be true. Actually, it probably is true, but isn’t as important as the rest of the discussion. When former KU cornerback Aqib Talib got suspended, I definitely laughed at the SportsCenter info bar when it said Adderall. At this point I just expect marijuana, steroids, etcetera; not necessarily from Talib, but that’s the general direction of drug test suspensions.
Growing up watching movies like “Varsity Blues” and “Any Given Sunday,” I just imagine locker rooms full of painkillers and other prescription drugs used without prescriptions. Even the steroids have numbed most of us. A four-game suspension now receives a yawn unless the player happens to be on our fantasy team. All of a sudden the positive tests begin to be blamed on Adderall, an ADHD medication. Really?
Think about it: the Ritalin generation has come of age. We seem to be so accustomed to the use of ADD/ADHD medication used in the proper way that we don’t even consider ethics involved in using without a doctor referral. College students are swapping “addies,” slang for Adderall, like housewives swap recipes. Adderall appears to be just as likely a study tool as Redbull or even a textbook.
Yes, it is illegal to take without a prescription, but the drug contains little to none of the social stigma that other drugs carry. Adderall has definitely taken on a second life as a party drug, but we still view most of its illegal use as at least being used for good: education. This gives us a strange understanding of Adderall as a schooling pick-me-up, but why are NFL players using it? I may be wrong, but Talib is probably done writing papers.
Some argue Adderall counts as a performance-enhancing drug. The neuro-enhancing effects of Adderall create a mental disconnect from the physical rigors of sports.
When the New York Giants go on the road to San Francisco, the 49ers have a distinct advantage by the jet lag the opposing team faces by going across the country for the game. When players are looking for that little bump to get through a workout day, the effects of Adderall have as many benefits as they do to students who want to write a 10-page paper due in 10 hours. Adderall is great for pushing past those tiresome days.
I will finish the article how I started it. This is happening and here is the info on it, at least as I see; no true stance on the issue and no call to action. Read the USA Today piece, “Do pro sports leagues have an Adderall problem?” and Margaret Talbot’s New Yorker piece, “Brain Gain,” for interesting information from qualified people.
Contact Mac Moore, sports editor, at mmoore82@jccc.edu.
By James Russell
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clouds pass, the moon rises, and the clock moves on.
The cold sets in but soon dissipates within an oddly warm darkness.
The night slips by in a moment, a brief flit of smoky fog, and a new day dawns.
Nov. 30, 2012 has become the first of December and the planet we call Earth continues to revolve around the sun. Another day, another month.
But as the hours pass and people here in these United States pull themselves from their beds and go about their early morning routines, something else is taking place in Kansas City that will rock not only the Chiefs Kingdom, but the nation itself.
This has never happened quite like this. Not in the NFL.
A woman, a mother, has left her life here upon this planet. A man, a father, is soon to take his own life in apparent recompense for his deeds. A child is about to be left without her parents.
And it will all end at Arrowhead Stadium.
By the time this article sees publication the events that took place Saturday will have been rehashed innumerable times by both local and national media. By the time this sees print much more will be known about the ‘why’s which surround the incomprehensible tragedy that has occurred on this otherwise normal morning.
But regardless of what information is to come, I have trouble believing that we’ll ever have any real answers. How can there be an answer for something like this?
There can be shock. There can be anger. There can be pain. There can be sorrow.
In time, there can be healing.
But answers? Real answers? I don’t think such things exist this side of the veiled curtain separating us from whatever comes after.
I cannot imagine the depths of emotion those closest to this situation are experiencing right now. The family on both sides of this who are left behind; the men who stood before him as he uttered his last words and ended his life; the infant daughter who will ever know her parents only in pictures and stories passed on to her…
I grieve for the grief that they share and for the burden they will always carry within themselves.
Football let loose its robes that day and what is hidden beneath them was revealed in this senseless and unthinkable tragedy: that it is merely a game.
I breathe Chiefs football – or at least I often seem to think I do. But at the end of the day, and at the end of life, not a single win or loss truly matters.
Family. Friends. Love. These things. They matter.
I have no answers for what happened. Many will condemn the man who did this as evil. I can’t agree with that. I don’t think those close to him would agree with that.
Something occurred that day for which I have no frame of reference. I cannot imagine what was going through his head as he committed the acts that he did. I know that whatever demons existed there drove him to end his own life as well, and until I’ve been in that place I’ll reserve my damning of a man who faced the darkness and was lost within it.
The loss of life is tragic in almost any circumstance. I don’t see this as an exception to that.
Rest in peace, Kasandra Perkins. And while I don’t know that anyone else will write these words for print, rest in peace, Jovan Belcher.
Contact James Russell, sports columnist, at jrusse24@jccc.edu.
By Jon Parton
On a tiny corner in Olathe rests a tiny building. El Panzote, located at 1100 South Payne St. in Olathe (near Old Highway 56 and South Payne Street), isn’t much to look at.
One step inside and I could find nothing resembling a chair or table. There’s no room for such luxuries with such limited space. El Panzote is a place where you get your food and then get the hell out. Tables? Seating? The heart of the bakery and restaurant is the food, not the size of the establishment.
It’s a good thing the food is unbelievably good. Once inside, I saw a crowded building filled with an assortment of baked goods displayed behind glass doors, small coolers crammed with Mexican beverages and a food cart that contained all the ingredients to make burritos and other specialties.
I was welcomed by the staff as soon as I walked in. There’s a level of service you get at a mom-and-pop store that you just can’t find anywhere else. There are no wage slaves here, just honest folks who truly appreciate people who choose to visit their business. They answered all of my questions regarding different pastries and what ingredients went into their food.
For $5, I was able to buy a massive pulled pork burrito. For someone who has been to Chipotle, I was amazed by how El Panzote’s burritos make Chipotle’s seem stunted and diminutive. This monstrosity was loaded with pork, Spanish rice, refried beans, peppers and cheddar cheese. The friendly staff member constructed it on the spot, making the most of the little food cart she had to work with.
For a big guy like myself, it’s a true testament to a place when I can’t finish a meal. The flavor of green bell peppers and onions mixed well with the spicy pork. The burrito had the right amount of heat to it, not bland but not reaching a point where I wanted to drink something cold after every bite. Rather than being served from a restaurant, I felt like I was eating at a neighbor’s; a neighbor who liked me because I picked up my dog’s poop from their lawn.
In the interest of being thorough, I also picked up a corn muffin from the bakery side. The muffin was unique in that it was cakelike while retaining the flavor of more traditional cornbread. It contained a small amount of sugar while managing not to be overly sweet.
I indulged in a bottle of non-alcoholic sangria, a good pairing with the meal. For $8, I had a more satisfying meal than what I could have gotten at a sit-down restaurant. I recommend giving El Panzote a try, especially if you like getting your money’s worth.
Contact Jon Parton, managing editor, at jparton@jccc.edu.
By Jon Parton
Something has to be done to curb the increasing rate of murder and violence in Kansas City. You are statistically more likely to be murdered in KC than in New York City.
New York City, home to more than eight million people, had a total of 515 murders last year. Kansas City, Missouri, with its population of about 420,000, had a total of 108. According to the FBI, Kansas City has the fourth highest murder rate out of all cities in the United States.
Try taking a visit to the neighborhoods of 30th Street and Bales Avenue or 41st Street and Forest Avenue sometime. The communities there have been devastated by poverty and a city that refuses to help. For instance, take a look at the Kansas City School District. The beleaguered district has lost accreditation twice in the past 11 years, a direct result of mismanagement.
The underlying problems with education do more than coincide with the high murder rates in the city; they directly affect one another. According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics, the dropout rate for low-income students in 2009 was five times more than high-income students.
According to that same report, a high school dropout earns $630,000 less over a lifetime than someone with a GED. In a 2009 study, researchers at Northeastern University found that about one in 10 male high school dropouts are either in juvenile detention or jail. When the government fails to do what it’s supposed to, it’s the people who suffer.
Not only is poor education responsible for crime rates, so are the poverty stricken states some neighborhoods are allowed to languish in. Why would anyone want to open a business or invest in a community with a high rate of crime? There needs to be decisive action taken in the matter of law enforcement. A good place to look is New York City.
Violent crime has dropped in New York City since 1990. In 2006, the city adopted legislation that established a registry of gun offenders and required gun stores to send inventory reports to the police twice a year.
Their police department adopted a strategy called “broken windows” policing. The strategy involves maintaining neighborhoods by stopping individuals for lesser violations of the law. The theory states that by cracking down on minor crimes, police can help prevent major crimes from occurring. The city also hired more police officers in order to better handle the amount of crime it faced.
Whatever Kansas City does, its government officials can no longer sit by and watch as neighborhoods decline further into poverty and murder rates continue to rise.
Contact Jon Parton, managing editor, at jparton@jccc.edu.
By Mackenzie Clark
All of Kansas City and NFL fans nationwide are feeling the blow of Saturday morning’s tragic event. Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher first shot and killed his girlfriend, Kassandra Perkins, then took his own life, leaving their three-month-old daughter, Zoey, an orphan.
I don’t like to publicize my personal life, but this is an issue that hits home for me. When I was 14, my brother Johnny committed suicide. Words cannot express the devastation my family felt at the time, and we still feel it seven years later.
My memory of that night – Feb. 22, 2005 – has not faded in the slightest. I remember the unexpected knock at the door, the instant nausea as I came down the stairs and realized it was a police officer… hearing, “We found your son slumped over the steering wheel of his car…”
Instant panic set in as I asked what was going on. My mother turned around with tears in her eyes, barely able to utter those horrifying words that changed all our lives forever: “Johnny’s dead.”
Thinking back on that night, and the weeks following, still makes me as sick to my stomach as I felt walking into his house and smelling the lingering exhaust fumes. Going through his belongings brought up so many memories which first led to laughter, then straight back to tears.
Certain images will forever plague my mind: my sister Kathie, overcome with grief at the funeral, throwing herself on the casket in a fit of despair; Johnny’s 8-year-old son, Tyler, serving alongside the adult men as a pallbearer; the gravestone marked “Daddy.”
I will always cherish the red rose I took from the funeral. The color has long since drained from its petals, but in my mind it is still as vivid and vibrant as my memories of Johnny. Of course, every rose has its thorns.
I think it’s safe to say that every aspect of one’s life changes when one experiences such a devastating loss. The wild mixture of emotions the grieving process brings is, on a good day, intolerable.
Particularly around this time of year, when Johnny was the one who brought the whole family together, I find myself staring at the empty seat on the couch where he belongs. Perhaps sometimes I still even expect to hear the loud knock on the door signaling my brother’s arrival at our house just before kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium.
None of us could have seen Johnny’s untimely death coming, but we could have prevented it, if only he had swallowed his pride and asked for help. We would’ve done anything then, just as we would do anything now, to have even one more moment with the brother, the son, the father, the uncle who left us all behind.
We would give anything just to tell Johnny we love him one more time.
I feel like I’m standing naked in front of a crowd writing this column, but I think it needs to be done. Although words can’t do the emotions justice, if sharing this story makes just one person take a step back and realize that death is never the answer and suicide isn’t even an option, I know it’s worth it.
It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done or how miserable your life may seem at that moment; there is help for you. If things can’t get any worse, that means they can only get better.
If you take your own life, you’re also taking more than you could possibly imagine from everyone who knows and loves you. I guarantee they would rather sacrifice everything they have than lose you.
Please, please reach out for help if you need it; even if you don’t want help, please accept it anyway for your loved ones. Someone in this world will be lost without you, clinging to a dead rose, wishing they could see you just once more.
Contact Mackenzie Clark, editor-in-chief, at mclark68@jccc.edu.
