Author Archives | Jake Coughlin

Presidential underdog makes his name in Keene

In the past couple of weeks, Keene State students have been in the presence of the potential next President of the United States and they aren’t even aware of it.

Underdog presidential candidate Dennis Andrew Ball has been trying to increase his standings in the polls by campaigning around the Monadnock region, including Keene State College.

Mr. Ball had a table set up in the student center atrium on Monday, Feb. 8th, where he was giving away free hats and t-shirts to Keene State students supporting his cause.

Additionally, Mr. Ball gave a speech in the Mountain View Room offering solutions to the student debt crisis and issues of immigration on Jan. 25th.

Mr. Ball first entered political relevance in 1995, by forming the American Party for America.

According to Mr. Ball’s campaign website, Ball2016.com, “The American Party of America/AOA-ANC was formed in 1995 and continues to attract those who put family first and make their mark in the lives of those within their community and for the good will and betterment of all people they touch. The time has come for all Americans who believe in the traditional family and its survival to stand up & vote American Party of America/AOA by and through the American National Committee/ANC”. Mr. Ball, a graduate of the University of California San Diego, has written two books surrounding his views on American politics.

The first and most notable of Mr. Ball’s publications, “THE BALL DOCTRINE: Creating Peace & Prosperity in Every Nation”, addresses issues in today’s America and suggests solutions for the betterment of the traditional family structure for the nation and world.

More information on Dennis Andrew Ball and his presidential campaign can be found at BALL2016.com.

Jake Coughlin can be contacted at JCoughlin@kscequinox.com

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Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks at Keene State

Bill Clinton

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor

Brief

It’s not every day that a small town like Keene, New Hampshire gets a visit from a former President of The United States. Hundreds of southern New Hampshire locals packed the Mabel Brown Room at Keene State College on Wednesday to hear former U.S. President Bill Clinton support his wife Hillary’s presidential campaign.

President Clinton expressed his fondness of the Keene area saying, “I like coming to Keene because I always get a lot of policy ideas,” in reference to a conversation he had before the speech with Cheshire County Sheriff Eli Rivera regarding the opiate rehabilitation program. “I’m glad to be back here,” said Clinton.

“I think I speak for all students when I say we welcome President Clinton here today,” said Keene State College Student Body President Bobby Graham.

President Clinton was introduced by a number of prominent figures in our state. Along with Bobby Graham, Keene Mayor Kendall Lane and NH Senator Molly Kelly gave their support to the Clinton campaign as well. “Americans need a president who has what it takes to get the job done, and that is why we need Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States,” said Senator Kelly.

Clinton and Ayotte

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor

The 42nd U.S. President expressed tremendous confidence in his wife’s ability to lead the United States to “shared prosperity”. Bill discussed several examples highlighting his wife’s work in many prominent campaign issues such as health care, climate change, immigration, gun violence, and gay rights.

“She’s the best person to win the election, the best person to implement the changes we need, economically and socially, the best person to preserve the gains we’ve made under President Obama.” said President Clinton.

“She’s the best change maker I’ve ever known…[She’s got] a proven record that the whole world has seen of standing her ground.” said President Clinton. “If you wanna know who’s got the best program based on my analysis…I think she does.”

Correction: Senator Molly Kelly gave support to the Clinton campaign. Not Kelly Ayotte as originally reported.

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Patriots not worried in win over Jets

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS! What can be said about this past Sunday? I mean, Jets will be Jets I suppose. Quite possibly the most Jets game of all time.

People keep coming up to me this week being like “hey, that was a close one on Sunday”. If anyone thinks for one instant that that was a close game they need their head checked. But, because I am a human being with a functional brain, I can comfortably tell you that at no point throughout that game was I even the slightest bit doubtful about the outcome.

When Tom Brady lines up under center and across the line of scrimmage from him are the New York Jets, the whole world knows what is about to happen. The Pats are gonna put up a W. The Jets are gonna fail miserably in an attempt to upset the greatest franchise in sports. It might be a cliché, but it really is like taking candy from a baby. Once a year, the Jets roll into Foxborough and think they’re gonna steal one from the Pats and every year we stuff them in a locker and steal their lunch money.

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor

And the craziest part about this victory was the fact that the Pats played like absolute garbage. Probably the worst game of the year out of New England. Very sloppy all around. Brandon LaFell was dropping balls all over the field. Julian Edelman was dropping wide open touchdown passes. Our longest run of the day was from Tom Brady who, as much as I love him, is not the most athletic guy on the planet. Like I said, kind of a disappointing performance. But, just like they do seemingly every single game, TB12 and the Brady Bunch found a way to get it done in crunch time.

Death, Taxes, and the Patriots kicking the snot out of anyone who comes to Foxborough are truly life’s only guarantees. And the Jets being a joke. And Tom Brady being handsome. Yeah. That’s it.

And as for next week’s victims: none other than the Miami Dolphins. My prediction? The Phins will come into Foxborough riding high off of a dominant victory against the Houston Texans (lol) with their heads held high and just when they think they’ve got a shot at beating us, Bill Belichick will find a way to devour their souls. They Dolphins will be broken and beaten men with no hope to save their season.

And if the gruesome imagery isn’t your thing, I think the Pats will win 75-3 (that is the most generous 3 I’ve ever given anyone).

Jake can be contacted at jcoughlin@kscequinox.com

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Colts embarrass themselves in loss to Pats

I will admit, just like the rest of Patriots nation, I expected a much better game out of the Pats this past Sunday night.

The “Deflategate” revenge tour rolled through Indianapolis to dismember the team that started it all, the Indianapolis Colts.

I expected to see blood. Lots of blood.

I was personally hoping to see at least 60 points put up on the Patriots side of the scoreboard.

I have to give the Colts credit though.

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor

They kept it interesting.

They played a really competitive game.

At no point at all in the game was I worried that we might lose, but nevertheless they kept it closer than expected.

It was clear that the Colts were aware that the end game here for the Patriots was to embarrass them for all the hell that was dealt to them following the “deflategate” fiasco. Fortunately for us Patriots fans, even though it wasn’t the best game out of the Pats, the Colts managed to embarrass themselves far more than we ever could.

I, of course, am referring to the infamous fake punt that was called by the Colts coaching staff at the tail end of the third quarter.

In case you were unable to view the worst play I’ve ever seen in my life, I will briefly explain.

The Colts lined up to punt the ball to the Patriots toward the end of the third quarter. Suddenly, the entire Colts team except for the a backup wide receiver and safety shifted to the right side of the field. The wide receiver and safety then lined up completely by themselves and snapped the ball together and were immediately tackled by what seemed like the entire Patriots 53-man roster.

It was without a doubt the most idiotic play call I have ever seen.

To me, a play that idiotic can only be attributed to one man. Bill Belichick.

I’m sure you’re all confused saying, “but Jake, you love Bill Belichick!”

Of course I do, my point is, the fact that the Colts coaching staff full of professional football minds was SO intimidated by Bill Belichick’s brain that they honestly decided to run a fake punt that was THAT idiotic is just incredible.

It just goes to show how much other coaches around the NFL are terrified of big bad Bill.

I can’t wait to see how a rookie head coach like Todd Bowles of the New York Jets cowers in fear when Bill, Brady, and the Pats ride back into Foxborough next week.

Oh, and to the Indianapolis Colts, R.I.P.

Jake can be contacted at jcoughlin@kscequinox.com

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Brady dominates, Patriots beat Bills in week 2

I know I’m gonna sound very repetitive here, but Tom Brady is too good. The past couple of weeks I have basically written about how great Tom Brady is and how his return and dominance has been like watching a beautiful dance.

I told myself going into this week that despite what happened in Sunday’s game, I wasn’t going to just go off on another Tom Brady tangent. I was gonna choose some other topic to focus on when it comes to the Patriots.

Then, just when I thought I was gonna have something new for people to read, Tom Brady went ahead and left me absolutely no choice.

When a quarterback goes out and performs surgery on one of the best defenses in the National Football League, I can’t just ignore it. And when that quarterback is Tom Brady, I have to scream it from the mountaintops.

I mean, is Tom kidding me with that performance? Every time I feel like it can’t get any better being a New England Patriots fan, Tom Brady has to go out and make me fall even deeper in love.

Here is a scary statistic for you. According to ESPN Stats & Info, last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Tom Brady was the first player in NFL history to have all of these stats in a game:

– Throw for over 450 yards

– Throw 3 touchdown passes

– Throw 0 interceptions

– Throw 55 passes

I don’t think people quite understand the magnitude of that performance. Putting up those kind of numbers against the Bills defense is B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

I heard ESPN’s Skip Bayless discussing how Deflategate would affect Brady’s performance this season on ESPN’s first

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor

take earlier this week. Skip predicted that we would see a healthy dose of “psycho Tom” this season. “Psycho Tom” of course is referring to when Tom’s competitive nature shines through and he goes nuts, headbutting teammates and getting Patriots Nation fired up and so forth. Skip went on to talk about how on Sunday, we didn’t see “psycho Tom” at all. We saw “surgical Tom”. We saw a Tom Brady that was laser focused on dismembering the opposing defense limb from limb and wouldn’t stop until the clock struck 0 in the fourth quarter.

Now, I don’t know how defenses around the league are preparing for Brady and the Pats, but I know if I was a defensive coordinator in the NFL I would be having nightmares about Tom performing open heart surgery on me.

Here are some more stats that those defensive coordinators can have nightmares about as well. Through the first two games of this season, Tom Brady has thrown for:

– 754 yards

– 7 touchdowns

– 0 interceptions

To put that into perspective, in the first two games of Brady’s record-breaking 2007 season, he threw for:

– 576 yards

– 6 touchdowns

– 1 interception

I’ll go ahead and restate last week’s message to the rest of the NFL. Good luck!

Jake can be contacted at jcoughlin@kscequinox.com

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Patriots Take Week One

Last Thursday marked a glorious day in the heart of Patriots fans, sports fans and fans of justice everywhere. Last Thursday the New England Patriots ran out onto their home turf at Gillette Stadium led by the man who deserved to do so more than anyone on planet earth. Last Thursday Tom Brady started at quarterback for the New England Patriots.

This wasn’t just any old start for Tom Brady. Starting this football game meant so much more to the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Starting this season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers meant clearing his name of the terrible reputation surrounding the Deflategate controversy, and thus solidifying himself as the man that New England fans around the world know him as.

Watching Brady sprint out of the tunnel like a bat out of hell gave me goosebumps. Seeing the passion in his face as he hooted and hollered to get the crowd riled up almost brought a tear to my eye.

Being able to watch my childhood idol witness his fourth championship banner be revealed was so surreal. People always questioned whether Brady could pull off winning another Super Bowl and he was finally able to shut them up. Then, when it was seemingly the whole world trying to tarnish his integrity, he stood up and shut them up too.

Then, after all of the emotions and celebration had passed, Tom went out and did exactly what all of Patriots Nation expected him to do. Tom went out and DOMINATED the Steelers. He could do no wrong. Tom would go on to throw for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns. He torched the Pittsburgh defense for everything they would give him. It just goes to show that even when all of the distractions in the world are just staring him in the eye, Tom Brady looks straight back at those distractions and throws touchdown passes and wins games.

Leave it to the ultimate competitor to continue to own this league even when the league itself tried to stop him in his tracks. I hate to speak too soon on this, but I genuinely think we could see a record-breaking season out of Tom Brady this year. Tom lit the league on fire in 2007, following the spygate scandal, so I can only imagine how motivated deflategate has gotten him.

All I know is, if I were associated with any of the other 31 teams in the NFL right now, I would be terrified to play against Tom Brady to begin with, let alone Tom Brady with a chip on his shoulder.

There will always be those who look on at Tom Brady in jealousy, just wishing they could have a great man like that to call their quarterback. Those people are the same ones that will go on to call him a cheater and allow Deflategate to tarnish his legacy in their own minds, but rest assured, here in New England, Tom Brady will forever be known as the single greatest sportsman of all time.

In closing, I’d just like to send a message to the rest of the NFL:

Good luck, because Tommy Football is back!

Jake can be contacted at jcoughlin@kscequinox.com

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Finally, Brady’s Free

Jake Coughlin

Administrative Executive Editor

Over the course of my life there have been a handful of ideas that my brain has come to automatically assimilate with the United States of America. Some of these ideas are large-scale things such as freedom, pride and opportunity. Some of these ideas are more personal assimilations that are specific to myself. Bruce Springsteen songs.

Bill Sikes / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bill Sikes / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chevy trucks. Football. Football. Football. I have had a love for the game of football since before I can even remember, and growing up as a child in New England means that I was privileged enough to witness one of greatest wonders a child can witness and that wonder’s name is Tom Brady.

Throughout my long lived life as a Patriots fan, Tom Brady has been a shining glimmer of hope throughout every questionable situation. Ask any Pats fan. Brady is as close as it gets to a perfect human being. A 6th-round draft pick that would go on to win four Super Bowls for arguably the greatest franchise in football. A winner in every sense of the word. A competitor who triumphed over every foe that he has been met with.

Unfortunately, when a hero of Tom Brady’s stature reaches the mountaintop and becomes king, jealousy often tries to tarnish that hard-earned crown.

Justice prevailed after nine months of false information, suspensions, appeals, hearings and testimonies. Some might call it a witch hunt. Some might call Tom Brady a cheater. Some might just be happy that it’s all over with (for now). Myself, I’m just glad I can sleep well at night knowing that I live in an America where good men like Tom Brady can finally be treated fairly. Knowing that number 12 will take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers on opening night just warms my heart. This “deflategate” fiasco has been a wild ride for sports fans all across the world and to know that justice was heard is as reassuring as it gets. This court win is not just another win in the stat sheet for Tom Brady. This court win is another win for America.

Jake Coughlin can be contacted at jcoughlin@kscequinox.com

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Native American mascot debate continues

A hot topic in the media over the past few years has been the appropriateness of Native American mascots in professional sports. I am, of course, talking about Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians, the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks and, most infamously, the National Football League’s Washington Redskins. The debate over the potentially offensive mascots has gone on for quite some time now. I personally believe this issue has become more sensitive than it needs to be.

Sarah Morrison / Equinox Staff

Sarah Morrison / Equinox Staff

Now, I don’t mean we shouldn’t be sensitive when discussing an issue like race (especially with all of the racial outrage going on in today’s society). What I mean is, we shouldn’t go putting words in the mouths of Native American populations. If the population of Native Americans in the United States was truly offended by the names of professional sports teams, I think we would’ve seen a stand taken against them by now.

It seems as though every time this story comes up in the news, it is typically a white reporter or a social rights activist that has no actual affiliation to the group being discussed. I have yet to hear anything about any large group of Native Americans speaking out against these sports teams.

Of course, it is possible that some Native Americans are offended by names of these teams, but I personally think the name of a sports team is the last thing anyone should be offended by. The names have historical significance to each team and were never meant to be offensive in any way. The intent of them was never to belittle the name of Native Americans or to be insensitive to issues surrounding their culture. Native Americans have seen extremely hard times here in the United States and to think that a sports team’s name could be so offensive is just silly to me.

I think the Indians, Blackhawks and Redskins all have historical significance in their respective cities and sports and it would be a shame to have to change them due to a heightened level of sensitivity in this generation. I don’t think the names are meant to be racist or offensive. If they were, I don’t think they would have lasted as long as they have.

Jake Coughlin can be contacted at jcoughlin@keene-equinox.com

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Mysterious student center art installation turns heads

Students returned from winter break this past week to a mysterious new art display hanging above the student help desk in the Young Student Center.

Many students have tried to interpret what it is that the art is supposed to represent. Kites and zebras are just a couple of ideas thrown out by students as to what this structure is supposed to be.

“It’s fascinating. I don’t really understand what it is, but it’s a cool concept I guess,” senior Chelsea Harris said.

“I mean, it’s decorative. It makes it feel less empty in the student center,” junior Mason Prata added.

According to Mark Gempler, associate director of the student center, the student center worked with a design consultant in 2013, who determined that the help desk didn’t have much focus in the building.

“She felt that it needed something to bring attention to it,” Gempler said.

The fabric sculptures were made and installed by a Maine-based company called Transformit, according to Gempler.

Gempler explained how the new design scheme is a two-phase project in the works for the student center.

“So phase one is fabric sculptures, which serves the purpose of an awning over the desk. Phase two will be to renovate the actual desk and bring more texture and excitement through finishes to the top of the desk and countertop,” said Gempler.

As for the strange designs on the fabric sculptures, Gempler said, “The black lines on the white fabric sculptures represent lines on a topo map. The topo maps used were from the Keene/Monadnock area.”

The new structure continues to spark interesting conversation around campus for the start of the spring semester.

Jake Coughlin can be contacted at jcoughlin@keene-equinox.com

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Exclusive Interview with Former New York Governor George Pataki

Republican Politician and Former New York State Governor George Pataki visited Keene this week. He sat down with our News Editor Dave Walsh for an exclusive interview to discuss the future of The United States.

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