Meridian Avenue between Lake Street and Pitkin Street will be closed to vehicles between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 14, according to an email sent by the Aggie Village Apartment Complex. The road will be closed by Colorado State University’s Facilities Managment to allow a crane to load roofing materials on the east […]

Having gorgeous skin is one of the best ways to look your best, and you can have a healthy skin glow year-round by using the proper skin care regimen. Here are a few ways to keep your skin beautiful throughout the year.

Healthy Skin Glow 1: Exfoliate Your Facial and Body Skin

It is important to exfoliate your body and facial skin frequently to have a healthy appearance. Using a soft washcloth to rub at your skin while bathing or showering is one way to exfoliate your skin, but you can also use skin scrub products that have tiny granules, or you can use an exfoliating brush.

Healthy Skin Glow 2: Use Sunscreen Lotions and Creams

You should apply sunscreen lotions and creams to your face and body throughout the year to prevent damage from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. It is possible to develop sunburned skin during the winter while you are outside shoveling snow or enjoying a winter sport. You should also apply sunscreen products to your skin while you are driving a vehicle.

Healthy Skin Glow 3: Drink a Lot of Water

To have soft skin that remains youthful, you must drink a lot of water. If you are feeling thirsty at anytime of the day or night, then you are already dehydrated. Eight glasses of water is the minimum amount of water that your body requires, but in many cases, you will need more than this to remain healthy.

Healthy Skin Glow 4: Apply Moisturizer Each Day

You must use the appropriate moisturizer each day for your skin’s type. When you have dry or aging skin, you will need a thicker moisturizing cream, but if you have oily skin, then you should use a specialized moisturizer around your eyes and lips.

Healthy Skin Glow 5: Stop Smoking Cigarettes

If you smoke cigarettes, then give up this horrible habit to have glowing and healthy skin. Not only does nicotine damage your lungs or heart, but also, it ruins your skin, leading to fine lines or deep wrinkles. It is also a good idea to stay away from anyone else who smokes so that your skin remains beautiful.

Healthy Skin Glow 6: Eat a Nutritious Daily Diet

By consuming a nutritious diet, you can have glowing and youthful skin. Rather than eating junk foods such as potato chips or ice cream, you should consume numerous vegetables and fruits. Some of the best fruits and vegetables to eat are the ones that have bright colors, including spinach, blueberries and tomatoes.

Healthy Skin Glow 7: Remove Your Makeup Each Night

Don’t leave makeup on your skin at night because it can damage your skin, leading to rashes or pimples. The foundation, blush and eye shadow that you use each day can embed into your skin’s pores, creating problems for your facial skin.

Healthy Skin Glow 8: Exercise Frequently To Improve Your Skin

With frequent exercise, you will have better blood circulation and oxygen levels, leading to healthier skin that repairs itself naturally. In addition, if you exercise outside, then your body is exposed to sunlight that will increase your vitamin D levels to improve the appearance of your skin.

Healthy Skin Glow 9: Avoid Drinking Alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption can affect your skin because it dehydrates your body, and it also damages your liver. While the occasional glass of wine won’t have a detrimental effect on your skin, if you drink alcohol on a daily basis, then you will begin to look older faster.

Healthy Skin Glow 10: Enjoy Professional Skin Care Treatments

If you want to remain youthful longer, then visit a local day spa for professional skin care treatments. You can enjoy a cleansing or moisturizing facial, but an aesthetician can also give you a facial peel to remove the top layer of skin from your face.

Healthy Skin Glow 11: Reduce Your Level Of Stress

If you are feeling anxious most of the time, then it will age your skin. Stress releases hormones into your body that will divert your oxygen and nutrients to the internal organs, leaving your skin depleted. When you are feeling stress constantly, your skin becomes dry and wrinkly.

Paul Schrader is no stranger to darkness.

The prolific writer-director has more than 40 years of experience exploring the uncomfortable side of humanity, most notably in his screenplay for Martin Scorsese's “Taxi Driver.” Now, after all these years, Schrader comes full circle to tell a very different version of the same story.

“First Reformed” follows Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke), a former military officer who took the cloth after the death of his son in Iraq. He takes up his position at the titular First Reformed, a rinky-dink chapel with a claim to fame in is its alleged status as a stop on the Underground Railroad. When Toller is called upon by a young member of his congregation (Amanda Seyfried) to talk to her husband, Michael (Philip Ettinger), an environmental activist who recently got out of prison for nonviolent protest, the two have a discussion that leaves Toller in a state of existential crisis.

This conversation plants the seeds for an unspeakable tragedy that opens Toller’s eyes to the evils of the world around him. His faith in God is unshaken, but his faith in humanity is gone, leading to an attempt by Toller to find salvation in a glorious act of violence.

Schrader’s film is a difficult one to discuss. Whereas most films derive thrills from action or complex plotlines, “First Reformed” is purely concerned with conversation — conversation about faith, existence and what humanity is doing to this planet.

Ethan Hawke gives a career-best performance as Toller, a man who is subtly falling apart in front of our very eyes. Likewise, Seyfried, Ettinger and Cedric the Entertainer are all in top form here. They’re not so much acting as channeling real people.

A lot of this is the result of some masterful writing and direction. Schrader presents everything with an air of stillness, allowing scenes to play out in an objective manner that almost feels like spying on the characters. This stillness, which can be credited to director of photography Alexander Dynan, creates a constant air of unease.

The dialogue, on the other hand, is downright operatic. The aforementioned conversation between Toller and Michael, despite being two men sitting in a room talking about climate change, is so confident, so purposeful in its execution that it transports the audience directly into the room with them.

Every interaction is another step toward Toller falling into full-on insanity. Although it may not technically be considered a horror film, the dread this film creates is so heavy it might as well be.

Then, the film takes a turn that changes “First Reformed” from a great film into an outright masterpiece. Saying too much would spoil the surprise of seeing it unfold, but a late-in-the-game meeting between Seyfried’s character and Toller breaks the established stillness of the first two-thirds in a way that’s utterly exhilarating. From then on, the film becomes a morbid spiral that, like Toller himself, constantly drifts between reality and a surreal nightmare.

By the time the film ends, the audience is left breathless, with every question under the Sun imaginable. Were Toller’s actions righteous? Is the damage done to Earth irreversible? Can we ever atone for what we’ve done? The film leaves these questions in the mind of the viewer.

Schrader has crafted something truly special here. Few films have inspired such a rich internal dialogue that’s persisted ever since I left the theater. “First Reformed” is a challenging film, but it also might be an American masterpiece.

“First Reformed”

Runtime: 113 minutes

MPAA Rating: R

Score: 5/5

A short while ago, the respective leaders of North and South Korea met again for a second, historic time, but under largely different circumstances. In this meeting, the presence of Trump and America at large was absent, as Trump had voided the meeting between him and Kim Jong Un of North Korea. In doing so, Trump attempted to implement a variation of Theodore Roosevelt’s “Big Stick Policy,” by using a new “Big Missile Policy” — much to the public’s amusement in his highly publicized and criticized letter to Kim. Despite his best efforts, Trump did little in hindering negotiations between the northern and southern countries in the Korean Peninsula, nor did he affect the actual negotiations between America and North Korea, as Trump, immediately following his letter, changed his mind and decided to attend the summit after pulling out of the meeting with the aforementioned letter. Instead, with volatility, Trump rendered his once legitimate candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize moot, and delineated his lack of awareness in foreign policy.

The Nobel Peace Prize is rewarded for outstanding, international efforts in relation to global peace, with some exceptions, and is given to the individual who has done the most for said efforts. At one point, Trump was a major candidate for the prize with the steps he had taken in negotiating peace and the denuclearization of North Korea, paving the way for unity between the North and South. Thus, Trump was arguably considered a major runner for the prize, despite what seems to be a lack of general, domestic support. Yet, in the letter — which he addressed to Kim — he stated that, “[America’s] nuclear capabilities … are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used,” in relation to North Korea’s own arsenal, while also severing relations with North Korea, which he promptly rekindled the very next day. While this most likely holds true, the idea of flaunting nuclear weapons capable of mass destruction is not something that was largely expected from someone who is the leader of the supposedly “Free World,” let alone someone who is a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. His constant change in regards to his stance on North Korea also does not help his case. Arguably the biggest factor that played into Trump’s candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize almost vanishing was the presence and efforts of President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, who is seemingly using Trump as his puppet in negotiations with North Korea.

Moon was named as one of the Time’s 100 this past year, and was labeled as a negotiator. He proved the title was well received when it was revealed Moon was the key cog in negotiations between North Korea and America. Moon was the one who appealed to Trump to meet Kim in the first place. Moon is the same individual who set up the historic meeting between himself and Kim, allowing for the Inter-Korean summit to occur after decades of failure in those negotiations. It was also Moon that rekindled the Singapore Summit between North Korea and America, convincing Trump to reconsider and eventually proceed with the highly anticipated meeting. Consequently, it would seem Trump was never a viable candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize — rather, it was President Moon who pulled the strings, using Trump as a major tool for peace negotiations in order to achieve a better Korea.

letters@chronicle.utah.edu

@TheChrony

The post Cho: Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize appeared first on Daily Utah Chronicle.

Enclosed in this edition of Graduation Issue, the Daily Bruin’s final edition for the 2017-2018 academic year, is a timeline of your past four years at UCLA – a glimpse at stories past, present and peek into future stories untold.

A former USC student has filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department for their handling of his rape case. The case was no longer pursued by the L.A. County district attorney’s office.

Armaan Premjee, the former student, alleges civil rights violations, malicious prosecution, negligence and false imprisonment by the city and LAPD. Police Chief Charlie Beck and two LAPD detectives were named as defendants in the case.

Vicki Sarmiento, Premjee’s civil rights attorney, said Premjee should have never been arrested nor prosecuted, claiming that the police department violated federal and state law.

“There was a rush to arrest him and once you arrest someone with that kind of charge you’re already putting that person in a bad light,” Sarmiento said. “It’s a heinous crime to be charged with.”

In March, USC’s Office of Equity and Diversity found Premjee responsible for policy violations after conducting its own investigation into the sexual assault charges. Premjee was later expelled from USC, according to Sarmiento and the brief.

USC was not mentioned as a defendant in this suit.

In May 2017, Premjee pleaded not guilty to a count of rape by use of drugs and a count of sexual penetration with a foreign object, after an alleged incident with a fellow student on campus. In July, the district attorney’s office decided to not continue pursuing a criminal case against Premjee after a judge ruled that he would not be held to answer.

“There is no indication of any withdrawal of consent,” the judge wrote in his ruling.

In the brief, Premjee claims that LAPD detectives Oscar Gamino and Carla Zuniga, acted “with a deliberate indifference to or reckless disregard for an accused’s rights for the truth in withholding evidence from prosecutors” and “suppressed exculpatory evidence.”

In addition, Premjee claims that the detectives withheld video evidence showing the alleged victim’s intent to pursue sexual relations with him, and that they failed to show this footage to witnesses during questioning.

“They had the video camera footage from the very start,” Premjee said. “They suppressed evidence that could have basically changed my life.”

The lawsuit also claims that Gamino and Zuniga “improperly influenced” the alleged victim and her roommates through “suggestive questioning.” The alleged victim’s roommates served as witnesses in the case.

In March, the alleged victim said in an interview with the Daily Trojan that she “couldn’t have possibly gave consent,” and that she did not pursue criminal charges against Premjee.

The lawsuit states that Premjee now faces humiliation and that he has “suffered greatly from the being unable to pursue his academic studies and the stigma of an unsubstantiated rape charge.”

“My professional life will definitely be impacted for the rest of my life,” Premjee said.

The LAPD declined to comment. The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment. USC’s Office of the Registrar did not immediately confirm Premjee’s status at the University.

The post Former student sues City of Los Angeles and LAPD appeared first on Daily Trojan.

This summer, people walking past the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will see a banner with a striking image of a painting that is on display

It depicts a girl, no more than six years old, with haunting blue eyes gazing out of the frame. Her tilted face, the curls in her hair and her pre-industrial era clothes appear fluid, or melting, as she drifts into a trance. British artist Glenn Brown’s “Daydream Nation” is a stunning sight.

“Transmutations/Glenn Brown: What’s Old is New Again” is on display at the JSMA until August 19. The exhibit marks the first time the JSMA’s Masterworks on Loan program has collaborated with multiple private collectors to display a variety of an artist’s work. It contains five drawings, two paintings and one sculpture by Brown. Both longtime art aficionados and people who have never set foot in an art museum can appreciate his work for its sheer beauty. The drawings and paintings capture Brown’s mesmerizing use of color and brushwork. The sculpture speaks to Brown’s capability in other mediums.

In 2014, the Masterworks on Loan program at the JSMA appeared on the cover of The New York Times. The story revealed how art collectors avoid millions of dollars in “use taxes” by donating recently-purchased artworks to museums in states without the tax before they ship the pieces home. Due to the program, the JSMA currently displays works by world-renowned artists such as Henri Matisse, Joan Miró and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

“This is a rare opportunity for Eugene in particular,” Emily Shinn, a University of Oregon graduate student of art history, said. Shinn wrote an essay discussing the artwork for a hardcover catalog that accompanies the exhibit. “He’s very very famous in Great Britain. All of these works have been shown in galleries across Europe so it’s a big deal to have them here all at once,” Shinn said.

Brown’s unique style allows him to create pieces unlike any people have ever seen, according to Shinn. He blends artistic techniques and concepts that are apparent in the works of multiple artists into his own individual pieces — a style called “appropriation.” He looks for inspiration in the work of artists particularly from the Renaissance period such as Rembrandt. Brown’s art becomes entirely new but eerily reminiscent of the pieces that initially inspired him. They are modern transformations, or mutations, of classic artworks from bygone eras.

Brown’s painting “This Island Earth” at the JSMA represents how his work can appeal to both people with no knowledge of art history as well as art scholars such as Shinn.

The nearly nine feet tall black and white painting looks like a Renaissance masterpiece from the underworld. Long, flowing brush strokes depict ghostly figures surrounding a saint-like entity holding a baby. They don’t have any discernible facial features. They look tormented. The longer people look at the painting. The more distorted, disembodied faces appear around the subjects.

“It’s fascinating because I want to read religious symbolism in it, but there’s nothing overly religious about it at all,” Shinn said.

One of the donors of the exhibit told Shinn that her daughter saw the painting and said it reminded her of the dementors from the Harry Potter series. “It totally could have been an influence for him – who knows,” Shinn said, enjoying the thought that Brown could have taken an idea from Harry Potter.

That’s what makes Brown’s use of appropriation intriguing to Shinn. It embraces how artists can be influenced by a Renaissance painting and contemporary novels like Harry Potter at the same time. It makes art accessible to people who may occupy completely different worlds.

In Shinn’s essay in the exhibit’s catalog, she features a quote from Brown that encapsulates how he views his style: “All of the knowledge of all of the art we’ve ever seen is with us when we paint, when I paint.”

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Wednesdays the museum is open until 8 p.m.

Follow Max Egener on Twitter @maxegener.

The post Glenn Brown exhibit at the JSMA features accessible, captivating works of art appeared first on Emerald Media.

MAJOR Spoiler Warning for the Mid-Season Finale (Season 4, Episode 8) of “Fear the Walking Dead,” as well as all previous episodes of the series. Spoilers from “The Walking Dead” will also be discussed.

Kim Dickens as Madison Clark. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

Being a fan of “Fear the Walking Dead” and “The Walking Dead” is incredibly painful. Every couple of weeks, an episode rolls around that punches viewers in the gut, makes them cry and then urges them to keep watching to see what happens next. In the stunning Mid-Season Finale, “Fear” sees its largest and most devastating death in the entire series run. What happens in this hour will sit with fans and the surviving characters forever. There’s no going back from here.

This episode jumps between three timelines, but for the purposes of recapping, events will be discussed in chronological order.

The narrative of this episode and the season as a whole has been somewhat misleading for the purposes of surprising the audience and allowing the reveals to be especially shocking. “No One’s Gone” begins with Madison in the forest alone, slowly sneaking up to a figure standing beside a campfire. Madison pulls her gun and demands that the stranger hand over the keys to her vehicle, but she falls over a trip wire and ends up firing a shot at a bowl of ramen noodles the stranger is holding. In a dramatic twist, the stranger is revealed to be Althea. Madison holds Althea hostage in the SWAT truck, angry that she isn’t cooperating and also curious when she discovers the collections of interview tapes. Althea notes that she has been zip-tied many times before and manages to free herself, but is knocked unconscious by Madison, who escapes with the tapes. Later, Madison parks her car near a bridge as a storm seems to be brewing in the distance (symbolism and foreshadowing to both the events of later in the episode and also to what seems to be coming later in the season). Madison watches several of the tapes, hearing a few of the stories from survivors that Althea has collected, but she breaks down when she doesn’t find any from Nick and Alicia. Althea eventually catches up to Madison and holds her at gunpoint, shifting the power dynamic and setting the episode’s events into motion. Althea’s interviews are a fascinating storytelling tactic that allows for cohesion and connections between the multiple timelines.

Kim Dickens as Madison Clark and Maggie Grace as Althea. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

There is an excellent scene between Madison and Althea that really allows for both characters to open up and share some backstory that connects to the main story. While being recorded by Althea, Madison explains that she wanted to build a place where her children could survive and still be themselves. She notes that they had been at plenty of strong communities in Los Angeles, Mexico and other places along the way, but that she wanted something permanent. It’s here that she really lets down her hardass persona to express her desire for Nick and Alicia to be able to live in a world where they don’t have to do things like she just did herself in attempting to rob Althea. Madison tells a story about Nick and Alicia finding an injured bird (which they named Amina) and nursing it back to health when they were kids, highlighting the fact that both were such sensitive and caring children. Madison desperately wants her children to maintain that part of themselves and to continue helping others, something that is becoming increasingly more rare and difficult in the apocalypse. Althea also opens up and shares that she works so hard to document the end of the world due to the power of truth; she tells the story of a warlord and those under him that she reported on and explains that the truth has the power to change things in a positive way. Later, Althea gifts Madison a collection of ramen and allows her to leave, hoping that they eventually meet up later so that she can hear more of her story. Madison drives around Texas looking for her family, eventually finding them at a motel. After reuniting with Nick, Alicia, Strand and Luciana, Madison brings them to the Stadium and explains that it will be their new home and that they will build it up into a huge community. The hope and optimism of this scene is a stark contrast to what goes down in the final few moments.

Much of this episode is set immediately following the end of the previous episode when Althea drove the SWAT truck into the center of the abandoned Diamond, only to be surrounded by thousands of scorched Infected. It’s a chaotic situation as Naomi realizes that they won’t be able to get John to the infirmary. Althea does her best to drive the truck forward and closer to the infirmary, but there are too many dead. Charlie steps into Althea’s role as she is put in charge of documenting the events, something that seems pointless in such a dangerous situation; still, Althea makes it clear that people are going to want to know what happened at the Stadium. Morgan and Naomi both volunteer to go to the infirmary to collect medical supplies for John, who pleads for them to stay safe. Althea uses her badass machine gun rig to clear a path for Morgan and Naomi to escape, but the sudden explosion of a grenade complicates matters as Alicia, Strand and Luciana have arrived to finish what they started. From atop the stands, Alicia and the others shoot down at the SWAT truck as Althea returns fire at them. Inside, John’s injury causes him to pass out, worrying Charlie and Althea and prompting Naomi to spew medical tips over the walkie talkie. At the same time, Morgan and Naomi make a fantastic Infected-killing team as they journey through the darkened tunnels to the infirmary. John asks Charlie to turn the camera on him so that he can say a final goodbye to Naomi; this scene is heartbreaking and really showcases once again just how much John loves his runaway girlfriend. There is a TON happening at once, but things only get crazier from here…because that’s just how Mid-Season Finales are.

Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Jenna Elfman as Naomi – (Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC)

There’s a lot to be said about the chaos taking place at the Diamond, but nothing is more badass than what Alicia does. Following a move reminiscent to that of Rosita Espinosa, Luciana launches a grenade at the SWAT truck, causing the driver’s side door to fall off, much to Althea’s surpise. Alicia steps out onto the field, in close proximity to the herd, pulling a gun on Althea and entering the SWAT truck. After gaining the upperhand, Alicia holds her signature weapon at Charlie’s throat while pointing her gun at Althea and ordering her to call Morgan and Naomi back to the truck. Strand and Luciana stand from their sniper positions, ready to take Naomi out right when she steps out onto the field, but John sneakily turns on the radio in the truck, allowing Morgan and Naomi to hear what Alicia is saying. Alicia isn’t stupid and realizes that she has just been played, prompting Althea to even state that she is on the side of Naomi and John. Charlie manages to get away from Alicia, leading to a physical fight with Althea. There is a shot that may be an homage to “The Walking Dead’s” fourth season episode “Dead Weight” in which The Governor held (and killed) his right-hand man Martinez over a pit of walkers. Althea and Alicia wrestle in the truck, knocking over a crate of ramen noodles, connecting this timeline with the one prior to the arrival at the Diamond. Althea tells Alicia that she found the noodles in Oklahoma, but eventually traded them to someone for an interview later down the line; Alicia finds a tape labeled “Amina,” which she watches and becomes overwhelmed by seeing her mother once again.

There are many scenes in “Fear the Walking Dead” that demonstrate incredible acting, but this episode has one of the absolute best. As Morgan and Naomi work to get back to the SWAT truck, Alicia manages to find and confront them. Morgan stands in front of Naomi, protecting her from Alicia’s gun and gaze. Looking dead on the inside, Alicia orders Morgan to get out of the way and states that Naomi’s action led to Madison dying. There is a brilliant back and forth as Morgan tells Alicia that there is a way back for her and that she can move past the dark place she is in right now, referring to the darkness that has overtaken him many times. Morgan mentions that he had a conversation with a close friend (Rick Grimes as seen in “What’s Your Story?“) who predicted that he would end up being with people again one day; this prompted Morgan to run halfway across the country to get away and prove Rick wrong. It is clear that Morgan feels immense guilt for not helping Nick more, and he states that he isn’t going to let Alicia go down the same route. Alicia ultimately stands down and allows Naomi to leave and treat John, embracing in Morgan’s comfort as they return to the truck together. Aside from his interactions with Nick, this is the first time that there feels like a genuine bond between Morgan and the original characters of “Fear.” It has been seen time and time again that Alycia Debnam-Carey is insanely talented, but this scene really shows off her depth and range as a performer. Having two of the strongest actors in the “TWD” franchise in Debnam-Carey and Lennie James face-to-face is a dream come true in every sense.

Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Alexa Nisenson as Charlie and Maggie Grace as Althea. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

The final act of the Mid-Season Finale is some of the heaviest material ever covered in the series. The two groups merge and flee the Stadium together as one in the SWAT truck, still clearly shaken up over what went down. There’s a touching moment between Naomi and John as they rekindle after nearly losing each other once again. Another shocking reveal comes as Naomi shares that her actual name is June and that she gave the group an alias when she first met them; how many names does this woman have?! Althea is still curious about what actually happened to Madison and asks to hear the rest of her story. The squad pulls over and sets up a campfire…and shit gets real. Slow-motion flashbacks to the night of the Diamond’s fall light up the screen as Alicia, Strand and Luciana narrate. Alicia, Nick and Mel were rescued from the surrounded car by Madison, Luciana and Strand, however they were unable to return to the Stadium. Mel escaped with Charlie, while Cole and the other residents tried to flee, only to be eaten/burned alive by the Infected. With things looking dire, Madison lit a flare and led the thousands of Infected into the Diamond as Alicia ferociously tried to stop her, being blocked by Strand, who was burned in the process. Madison managed to trap all of the Infected on the field, but she became trapped herself and decided that her only option was to burn the Diamond down, sacrificing her own life in the process. In a fitting set of final words, Madison tells her children “no one’s gone until they’re gone.” The Stadium ignites in flames as the camera focuses on Madison’s face for the final time. Nick and Alicia scream out in horror and fear as their heroic mother goes out in a blaze of glory. Madison Clark died as she lived: protecting her children.

It has to be noted that the final scene of the episode is especially poignant. Madison’s dying wish was that Nick and Alicia would be able to retain their humanity and stay true to themselves even in the death and destruction-laden world. After all the fighting and bickering of this first half of Season 4, the episode wraps up with Alicia, Strand, Luciana, Morgan, Althea, June, Charlie and John together as one. They still have a lot to work through, but they seem to be on a path toward peace with one another. Strand passes around ramen noodles to everyone, including Charlie, a young child who literally murdered his friend in cold blood just days before. Unfortunately, Nick nor Madison are here to see the newfound peace, but their legacy will live on in those they leave behind, specifically Alicia. The opening scene of Season 4 showed John Dorie alone by a campfire in the middle of the night and now that shot is mirrored, only there are now eight survivors standing together to face whatever the apocalypse throws at them next. The song “Love Love Love” by The Mountain Goats plays, paralleling a scene from “The Walking Dead’s” fourth season episode “Still” in which the song “Up the Wolves” by the same band was played in an iconic scene featuring Daryl and Beth burning down a cabin to symbolize rebirth. This is the rebirth of the characters of “Fear” and we will surely see the series head in a new direction once it returns. “Some things you do for money…and some you do for love,” lyrics that represent the ultimate sacrifice Madison made so that her child could wind up right where she is now.

Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Danay García as Luciana Galvez, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Colman Domingo as Victor Strand, Alexa Nisenson as Charlie and Maggie Grace as Althea. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

The time has come to pay tribute to Madison Clark, the fallen hero of “Fear the Walking Dead.” In all of television, there isn’t any other character quite like Madison. What always stood out about her was the fact that the apocalypse didn’t shape her into a badass warrior. She was already a hardened and strong woman long before the world ended. She came to us as a high school guidance counselor and it was immediately clear that her primary focus would be to keep her family safe as things began to fall apart. Madison had a troubled life, growing up in an abusive household, losing her husband to suicide and later having to worry about Nick as addiction overtook his life. She never seemed to be able to catch a break, but the apocalypse may have come at just the right time as she became linked with her family in a way that made their bond stronger than ever. She was able to see just how strong Alicia and Nick are as individuals and even though they had their troubles throughout the series, they remained a family until the bitter end. Madison isn’t the traditional action hero that one would expect from a series such as this. She is unique in the sense that she is a middle-aged woman who is both a mother and a strong and independent individual. She’s flawed and doesn’t have all of the answers. She makes mistakes and has to deal with the consequences that come from them. She’s the type of character that a show and television as a whole needs. It’s a shame that the showrunners made the decision to do away with her, because she is truly an example of a multi-faceted character with so much potential. While the execution may be have been spot on, this may be a death that the series regrets moving forward. How do we proceed without our lead?

MASSIVE round of applause for Kim Dickens (@KimDickens) for her portrayal of Madison Clark from S1E1 to S4E8 of #FearTWD! pic.twitter.com/CKLwTi2uKA

— The Walking Dead World (@TWalkingDWorld) June 11, 2018

After eight episode of twists, turns and timeline confusion, “Fear the Walking Dead” Season 4A has officially wrapped up. This has been the most starkly different set of episodes, mostly due to the new locations, characters and storytelling structure. The deaths of Madison and Nick absolutely open up a plethora of interesting story arcs to dive into, but they also may be nails in the coffin of the show. As of this episode, Alicia is only surviving character that appeared in the Pilot episode, and her and Strand (plus Daniel, wherever he is) are the only Season 1 characters left standing. That is quite unfortunate, but hopefully these two characters are given the primary focus for the remainder of the series; otherwise, the losses up to this point will feel rather pointless. The directing and cinematography of this episode, particularly in the final act, deserve absolute praise; this chapter serves as proof that Michael Satrazemis is one of the most talented directors in the “TWD” franchise. The performances across the board are absolutely spectacular with Frank Dillane, Colman Domingo, Danay García, Jenna Elfman, Lennie James and Alexa Nisenson delivering some of their best work in the series to date. However, this episode belongs to Kim Dickens and Alycia Debnam-Carey, both of whom should receive Emmy nominations for their work here (they won’t, but I can dream). There is so much genuine raw emotion that comes to life and both Dickens and Debnam-Carey’s performances here are simply too brilliant to fully put into words. Where does the series go from here without Madison at the helm? Will it be able to stay afloat without two of its most important figures? Will this newfound peace last?

“Fear the Walking Dead” will return for the Mid-Season Premiere, kicking off Season 4B on Sunday, August 12 at 9 p.m. on AMC. 

Florida needed everything to go right at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.Its men needed at least 53 points to complete the three-peat, and its women needed at least 47 to get their first podium finish since 2014.

An email apologizing to a campus speaker for a University administrator falsifying her signature on a document stating the speaker would not boycott Israel. The administrator resigned Friday. | Courtesy of Media Relations

A UH administrator resigned Friday for falsifying the signature of a campus speaker who had refused to sign a state form stating they would not boycott Israel, a University investigation found.

Jeanette Martinez, who worked in the Hispanic Studies business office, was handling the payments of University of Southern California Ph.D. student Vanessa Villarreal for speaking on campus in late February. A University investigation concluded that Martinez had falsified the signature of  Villarreal on a form stating Villarreal would not boycott Israel in order to complete processing her payment.

Rosen said the form was never sent to Villarreal. | Received from University records

“Over the last week we have conducted a review where the document came from,” University spokesman Mike Rosen said. “The only conclusion is the document with the signature came from the office.”

Villarreal had not been paid for weeks after she came to campus and contacted Martinez for payment on April 10.

On April 20, Martinez said for Villarreal’s payment to be processed she would need to sign an updated contract and a form stating she would not boycott Israel. State agencies, including the University, are not allowed to conduct business with companies that boycott Israel.

However, the University received informal guidance in March from the state attorney general’s office that individual campus speakers do not need to sign the form stating they won’t boycott Israel, Rosen said.

The University passed this information to its departments on April 9.

“I refuse to sign a revised contract or any boycott Israel form,” Villarreal wrote in an email to Martinez on April 22.

The email from Villarreal threatened legal action if she did not receive payment. The following day, Martinez said she would be paid $700. Martinez said the form was new, and the office handling the payment had not realized she had already fulfilled her services.

Rosen said Martinez made a mistake asking Villarreal to sign the form when she did not need to. The University began its investigation late last week after the University showed the Houston Chronicle the boycott Israel form with Villarreal’s falsified signature despite Villarreal stating she did not sign the form.

“The decision made (to falsify the signature) had nothing to do with the context of the form,” Rosen said.

He said no other documents have been identified to be falsified and the University is reiterating to its departments that individual speakers should not be asked to sign the form. He said the mistake by Martinez was made to get Villarreal’s payment processed and not about the politics behind the form.

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