Category: Life & Arts
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Honoring heritage
A visual arts student used her class assignment to execute a long-desired artistic vision of showcasing UTD’s ethnic diversity and cultural backgrounds. Alaae Nasser, a marketing junior with a minor in visual arts, created a small photobook of students whose families originate from nations across the world. Each student was given the opportunity to paint…
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“Wonder” is an extraordinary film about an extraordinary boy
While Wonder may be directed towards children, the enlightening tone and plot makes it a movie all adults should see at least once in their lives. **Wonder** portrays the difficulties of living with a disability and what it’s like to be treated differently for something a person can’t change. Inspired by R.J Palacio’s novel and…
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Star Wars 101: The Last Jedi
In preparation for the upcoming “Star Wars” film “The Last Jedi,” The Mercury sat down with UTD film professor John Petty to talk about his feelings and expectations about the upcoming sequel to “The Force Awakens” (2015). Q: What are you most excited about in regards to “The Last Jedi?” A: I want to see…
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‘Justice League’ riddled with plot holes
The newest DC comics movie, “Justice League”, had good action sequences and fight scenes, but had a disappointing plot and lacked a reason to cheer for the heroes. A large portion of time in the movie, especially near the beginning, was spent setting up the heroes’ characters and personalities, but it seemed rushed and unconvincing.…
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Hopsin’s album leaves sour taste
“No Shame” is California rapper Hopsin’s fifth studio album and is a sullen recounting of the past two years of his life, which he describes as being a downfall. There’s no denying that Hopsin is a talented rapper, but his lyricism and attitude tend to garner a lot of criticism. He takes on an aggressive…
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Int’l students find joy in festive season
During the holiday season, international students are experiencing their first American celebration with fellow UTD students. According to UTD’s university profile, 22 percent of the UTD population is international. A portion of these students will be experiencing the American holidays for the first time in their lives, and often away from their families. Midia Yousefi,…
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Sculpting a future
Upon first glance, students may never guess the artistic background of this UTD Student Union employee. However, their opinions may change once they take a step into his office. The “bat cave,” as SU Coordinator Sean Collins calls it, is located on the first floor of the Student Services Building and is decorated with self-shot…
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Creating “Coco”
Can you describe your role as a concept artist in the making of “Coco?” I got to work on a lot of different things, like sets, characters, background characters, graphics and color. I also worked on a lot of translations as one of the few Mexicans on the project. I got to join the team…
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Helping with hearing
When Jackie Clark was in Mozambique for her first deployment, she gave a young man a hearing aid. It was the first one she ever gave out as a humanitarian. He was found wandering the streets of Mozambique during the civil war as a toddler. Clark met him at an orphanage when he was possibly…
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Kickstarter game offers challenging gameplay
“Throne of Lies” is an online, hidden identity roleplaying game available for PC. Take on the role of member in your King’s court in a Game of Thrones-style battle of wits, which is great for single players and groups of friends online. Styled after the tabletop games “Mafia” and “Werewolf,” “Throne of Lies” assigns each…