The Signal

The ancient past time of hookah is reborn as it gains popularity among students.

Hookahs, commonly referred to as “water pipes,” originated in the Middle East and have been around for centuries. In the past few years, hookah cafes, bars, lounges and retail shops have gained worldwide popularity, especially among high school and college students.

At first glance, a hookah might resemble a bong, a device commonly used for smoking marijuana. However, a hookah contains more parts (head, body, water bowl, hose and mouthpiece) and is used for smoking tobacco and shisha (an herbal smoke option).

Smoking hookah is often a group activity and individuals can choose from a variety of flavored tobacco or shisha. The tobacco or shisha is heated by charcoal, which creates smoke. The smoke is then inhaled through the mouthpiece, which is often passed around the group.

Hookah smoking is often touted as a “safer alternative” to cigarettes because the smoke is filtered through water, but the medical community disputes this claim.

“There is no evidence to support the claim that it’s safer or healthier,” said Darryl Konter, health communications specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC produced a report about the negative effects of hookah. The report claims that “even after it has passed through water, the smoke produced by a hookah contains high levels of toxic compounds, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals.” The report also states that there are dangers associated with sharing the mouthpiece.

Truett Manning, a University of Houston-Clear Lake communication major, explained that he and his friends do not mind the potential health risks associated with sharing the mouthpiece.

“Usually I go with my friends, two to three of us, and we don’t care, but I wouldn’t do it with a stranger,” Manning said.

Many hookah outlets offer an herbal option because it is often deemed “safer” than tobacco. However, there is insufficient research to support this belief. Even if the herbal smoke is found to be a safer alternative, research by both the CDC and Tobacco Free U reports that the charcoal used to heat the hookah produces smoke that contains carbon monoxide, metals and carcinogens.

Hookah Town, an online retail store, opts to sell herbal molasses in order to offer cigarette smokers another option. The company’s founder, Nathan Mark, admits that there are risks associated with smoking shisha.

“Too much of anything is not good for you, so herbal [smoking] is healthier but not completely risk free,” Mark said.

Mark describes hookah as a “social facilitator” for young people. His company uses the slogan “the new chill” to describe how having a drink at the bar is the “old chill,” while hookah is the “new chill.”

“Hookah is something to relax and chill with,” Mark said. “Instead of having a beer, you have a hookah.”

Those who enjoy hookah agree that the “new chill” experience is not just smoke and mirrors. Manning explains that he and his friends enjoy hanging out at local hookah bars.

“It’s fun, and there is also food and drinks at some of the bars,” Manning said.

Ashley Issa, 27-year-old store associate at Perk and Puff Lounge in Houston, is a social hookah smoker.

“Hookah is relaxing and a part of a social atmosphere,” Issa said.

Whether or not people agree, the fact remains that hookah is indeed starting a conversation. So, do you puff? Or will you pass?




Video created by The Signal reporter Rose Pulido.

The Signal

The food truck trend is sweeping across states with new and creative street food delights. While cities like Austin, Portland and San Francisco have thriving food truck scenes, Houston is not far behind with its kitchens-on-wheels.

The aroma of the food mixed with loud booming music seems to attract long lines of customers. The old, dirty image of an unsanitary street vendor has turned into fun-filled party food trucks with lots of options, including low calorie fare.

“We try to keep everything under 200 calories and use seasonal ingredients that gives freshness in our crepes,” said Sean Carroll, owner of Melange Creperie, a crepe food truck in Houston.

As the economic downturn continues, more and more people turn toward running a food truck instead of opening a restaurant.

“A restaurant costs up to half a million dollars while it costs about 60 – 80 thousand dollars to own a truck and set-up the business,” Carroll said.

The growing food truck businesses are coming up with new and creative food items at affordable prices to attract customers. The wide variety of menus feature foods ranging from a bowl of rice at around $3 to juicy grilled burgers at around $5.

“When something is new, people want to try it and see if it is any good,” said Naila Johnson, food cart customer. “If it falls under the right price range, then why not give it a try?”

The fact that food trucks are able to literally go to their customers also makes them appealing. Food trucks have the advantage of choosing their location everyday and if one location does not work, they can move to another. You can find them at parking lots, parks and even universities.

The Melange Creperie is located in front of Mango’s Café at the corner of Westheimer and Taft in Houston.

“Most of our customers are people from the neighborhood we are in,” mentioned Carroll, “we have people who moved here from different locations, walkers, bicyclers, construction workers and even the postman.”

Food trucks have become popular due in large part through the use of the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to keep their customers up to date about their hours of operation and locations. They use the sites to advertise specials and to attract new customers.

“Eating from a food truck is an experience, and that is why I am a regular food truck eater,” Johnson said. “I like the variety of finger foods and desserts that are offered.”

Far removed from the old “roach coaches” feared in the past, today’s food carts are inspected annually in order to have their permit renewed.

“We are inspected twice as much compared to a regular restaurant,” Carroll said.

As the popularity of food trucks increase in Houston, The Houston Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Consumer Health Service conducts citywide programs to prevent food diseases and ensure healthy food is being sold by restaurants, including those on wheels.

“We want to have a safe food supply,” said Robert Stine, mobile food unit supervisor. “We also make sure that the food trucks are not causing any environmental violations.”

One of the things health inspectors focus on is the water service. Water for restaurants is provided by the city whereas, water for food trucks has to be provided by the owners. It is illegal for food trucks to dump their dirty water on the streets.

“I usually judge a truck by its appearance from the outside. If it isn’t clean from the outside, I don’t trust it to be clean on the inside,” Johnson said, “I also look at the trucks rating before eating.”

Food trucks are the new trend capturing a lot of people’s attention with a large selection of easy to eat, affordable food items and desserts.

The owner of Melange Creperie points out two good things about food trucks.

“They are fast,” Carroll said. “And they are like a drive-thru with easy access.”

Reaching the consumers on wheels, keeping them updated, and following the health and safety regulations play a huge role in a food truck’s success.

“I would not eat that food from the cafeteria,” said Rachel Hoffan, behaviour analyst program graduate. “If we had a food truck on campus with good food I will eat it and pay for it.”

Video shot and edited by The Signal reporter Kevin Aguilar.

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Ashley Smith

The Signal

Two young lovers form a bond, becoming inseparable while in college, then pulled apart by fate and circumstance. Will their relationship survive or will the long-distance romance ultimately become their undoing?

This situation has been seen countless times before since the beginning of cinema, most recently in “Going The Distance” and “Dear John,” but what sets “Like Crazy” apart from the pack is how writer and director Drake Doremus created the film and his unique method of developing the story.

“Well, the writing process mostly entails trying to come up with scene objectives, emotional plot points, subtext, things like that and then the dialogue kind of comes later,” Doremus said.

Doremus, whose mother Cherie Kerr is a founding member of famous improv group The Groundlings has himself been directing and performing improv since the age of 12. He uses his improv roots to create his films, giving his actors an extensive outline as well as scene objectives and subtext, but allowing them to organically come up with the dialogue.

The two actors, Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin, who portray the young couple in “Like Crazy,” which opened in Houston Nov. 18, experienced first hand Doremus’ unique method.

“I think it was a little bit nerve-wracking, but that was kind of what was exciting about it because it felt like it’s challenging,” Jones said.

“I think it was the process really that’s kind of a blessing for an actor to deal with, to make a film and have such freedom with your character,” Yelchin said.

Unlike other films that deal with long-distance relationships, Doremus wanted to give his film a more raw and honest feel to it.

“I think we find moments that are surprising and that feel really organic, and what’s exciting is when the actors listen to each other and they let things happen organically, amazing real true moments will sort of happen,” Doremus said. “That’s what I really wanted to do. I was really inspired to try to do something that didn’t feel staged or homogenized, that just really resonated with audiences.”

Doremus’ way of telling the story is what initially drew Jones to the film.

“The tone is so different than anything that I’ve ever read, and it was so intimate and very, very naturalistic,” Jones said. “I wanted to do something a little more serious and intimate.”

“Like Crazy” tells the story of Jacob, played by Yelchin, and Anna, played by Jones, who meet while both attending college in Los Angeles. They fall in love, but Anna, who is originally from England, overstays her visa and is sent back to London. The couple then becomes involved in a long-distance relationship and the perils that come with it.

“For Jacob, going to London, he just feels that he’s not part of her life there,” Yelchin said. “When he comes to London it’s just not – it’s not home for him and it’s not home for their relationship. It is her place but without him.”

Throughout the film Jacob and Anna, even at the lowest points in their relationship, never can fully let go.

“I guess that love is gray and relationships are gray and long-distance relationships especially are difficult to sustain and stay connected with somebody,” Doremus said. “Just because you’re not fully with somebody, it doesn’t mean you’re not sort of half with that person. This film ultimately covers what it feels like to try to fight to get over somebody and to sort of not be able to.”

Jade Wise

The Signal

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but even a thousand words cannot describe the unique relationship between a father and his son.

Similarly, images and words share a relationship as old as time itself. One cannot hear or read the word “apple” without conjuring up a mental image of a round, juicy, crunchy, red, green or yellow fruit. Likewise, if one sees a photograph, or some other visual of this same fruit, a mental association is made between the image and the word—“apple.”

It is these relationships between father and son, and words and images, that make the relationship between photographer Van Edwards and his son, poet Joshua Edwards so special, as illustrated in the Edwards’ new book, “Campeche.”

Titled after the famed pirate Jean Lafitte’s name for Galveston Island, “Campeche” is a collection of poetry written by Joshua and photographs by his father Van.

Born and raised in Galveston and Clear Lake Shores – both being islands – Joshua feels a strong connection with the sea, as reflected in “Campeche.” Because of this connection, he places a lot of emphasis on the mythology of floods, water and nature.

“The book deals a lot with the idea of the visionary and the individual’s place in the context of the problems of the world, be it local or global,” Joshua said.

On the mythology of water, Van said, “Mythologically, and probably literally too, water in all mythology serves that function of birth and rebirth, arising and going.”

John Gorman, professor of literature at UHCL, points out that modern poetry is often rooted in mythology.

“Mythology helps give a sense of the continuity of culture.” Gorman said, “That people may have lived millennia ago, and yet, because of their stories, we understand something about our mutual humanity. It’s also a way to deepen a 21st century life that moves on the surface so much. You see the recurrences of patterns over 3,000 or 5,000 years of human time.”

“The idea for ‘Campeche’ belongs to Joshua,” Van said. “He wanted to create a dialogue between my photography and his, because it helped shape not only his poetry, but also his life. Henry David Thoreau said, ‘you can’t say more than you can see.’ But I’m a visual person so I can see more than I can say. My son [Joshua] is a poet, and he can say so much because he sees so well.”

This dual ability to be able to see the world around him and eloquently communicate it through poetry was brought about through Joshua’s home life. Joshua muses that with his father being a photographer and his mother being a librarian, there was not only the influence of reading and books, but also the idea of meditating on images.

“My dad’s aesthetic is sort of austere and formal and the poems in this book are kind of baroque,” Joshua said. “A lot of my poems take their inspiration from visionary poets like Whitman, Blake and the French symbolists, all of which are very formal. So I was interested in not only how his formalism and my formalism, but his austerity and my baroqueness or wordiness would interact.”

“‘Campeche’ is a very unique type of exhibit,” said Elbby Antony, assistant director of development in the office of university advancement, one of the offices responsible for bringing the exhibition to UHCL. “It is the first time we have had the pairing of two different types of art, the visual art and the poetic art.”

Professor of Fine Arts and Gallery Director, Nick de Vries said the “Campeche” exhibition is quite a meditative environment.

“I always enjoy showing the works of local individuals, especially those who have given a lot of time to the university and the area in general,” de Vries said. “Van being local and his son [Joshua] growing up in this area.”

The exhibit runs from Nov. 14 through Jan. 13, 2012 in the Art Gallery, located on the first floor of UHCL’s Bayou Building.

The Signal

Generation Next is about to graduate and a recent Pewter survey reports that half of those graduates have a least one tattoo.

Tattoos have moved beyond their negative past in our society. No longer sure signs of a criminal past or criminal intent, they have become a popular means to express one’s ideas and beliefs. But they might not help graduates secure a job.

“Attitudes have changed in the workplace because lot of people have them, but [most offices] still have a dress code that people must adhere to,” said Debbie Mebroso, vice president of Burnett Staffing.

“It went from being the guys with the barbed wire on their arms to actually producing good artwork on skin, and it’s not just a tattoo, its art,” said Javier Garcia, artist at True Love Tattoos.

It is not just the youth who are embracing tattoos either; Garcia says most of his clientele is made up of women in their forties, especially in this area.

This new attitude on tattoo acceptance has many graduates assuming that tattoos will be more tolerated in the workplace, just as they are in public.

This assumption may be wrong depending on the graduate’s chosen profession.

“We make [clients] aware that they [tattoos] depend on the type of job that they are looking for,” Mebroso said. “For example, for accounting, they must be covered for the profession.”

In recent years, many companies have relaxed their standards, allowing employees to have tattoos.

“Actually the tattoos on my arms are allowed and I don’t have to cover them up,” said Brittany Fair, a floral department manager.

Her job requires her to work with the public every day and her visible tattoos have not held her back from gaining a managerial position. She feels that there is not anything she has to worry about when applying for jobs because she feels that there are not any prejudices against her tattoos.

Many companies have a policy that still allows a person to have a tattoo as long as it is covered. These companies include Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl, Bank of America and the Houston Police Department.

Visible tattoos, especially tattoos that are hard to hide such as neck, wrist, upper chest, and leg tattoos, for women who wear dresses or skirts to work, may cost a person a job.

“A job seeker came in with a ‘C’ tattoo on his forehead and is in the process of removing [the tattoo] for a dishwasher job,” said Velma Vepeda, an employment counselor at Texas Workforce. “He limited his marketability because most jobs wouldn’t allow him in the front due to the judgment he might have gotten from customers.”

“The attitude toward [tattoos] changed a lot; they are a lot more accepted than they were 20 years ago but at the same time visible tattoos will always be frown upon because of that stigma of tattoo artist or tattoos being badass or rebels,” Garcia said.

As for future graduates with tattoos it is always important to research company policy and try to work with the policies that are in place.

Clockwise from top left: Entertainers at the festival included a Gypsy dancer, executioners, a barbarian warrior, a warlock and a bird of prey trainer. All photos by Paul Lopez: The Signal.

Paul Lopez

The Signal

Hear ye, hear ye, lords and ladies. The nation’s largest Renaissance festival, with more than 50 acres of 16th century-style shops, attractions and games is just a short road trip away.

Located in Plantersville, the Texas Renaissance Festival runs for eight weekends this year. From Oct. 8 to Nov. 27, visitors can escape the nine-to-five for a weekend or two.

The moment visitors arrive they are immersed in a world that existed 500 years ago. People in renaissance outfits parade the festival grounds. Shops look as if they were constructed by the hands of the merchants selling goods from inside them and live Celtic music resonates from the voices, drums and lutes of seasoned performers.

The staff goes to great measures to ensure that everything about the festival is authentic, from the costumes to the entertainers, to the food and even the accents.

“Our performers have a two-month rehearsal leading up to the festival,” said Mandy Love, marketing and relations manager for the Texas Renaissance Festival.

Some acts include perennial favorites such as: “Christophe the Insulter,” a one-man show where visitors pay a fee to have their friends and relatives “professionally” insulted; “Birds of Prey,” a show featuring several trained birds flying about the audience; and “Ded Bob,” a womanizing skeleton brought to life by a man whose face and body are concealed, so he appears as an executioner.

“One of the defining moments in finding Bob’s character was when a very young, probably jail-bait Lolita came through the gate dressed like a hooker,” said Clark Orwick, the man who brings “Ded Bob” to life. “Bob said ‘Where have you been all my death?’ … Her reaction, and the others in the group was a beautiful thing.”

Other shows and shops feature skills and stunts one can only find at a renaissance-like festival. There is juggling, firebreathing, armormaking, glassblowing, candlemaking, weaving, coinminting and more.

Of course there is some authentic jousting too, where visitors can root for knights from four different countries — Spain, Germany, England or France.
Similar to the jousting divisions, the festival is divided into country-themed areas.

In the Greek, or Agora, section visitors can find one-of-a-kind baklava, gyros and the Gypsy Dance Theatre.

Teeming with leiderhosen-clad men and women is the German area where visitors can indulge in weiner schnitzel and bratwurst.

Visitors craving the taste of fried alligator can find it in the French section.

Other countries represented are Spain, Italy, Wales and Poland.

New this year are Family Day Sundays and The Tower Stage. On Family Day Sundays, tickets are discounted when bought as a four-pack, which includes two adult and two children tickets for $50.

The Tower Stage was constructed in the German area and features a new act, The Steele Sisters, who combine comedy with sisterly love to produce a show that includes horses, flowers and weapons.

The festival grounds nearly became a victim of the wildfires that plagued central Texas over the summer. The fires raged within a half-mile of the area and the damage can be seen on the drive to the festival — charred trees, barren areas that used to be wooded and a few crumbling buildings.

Because of the burn ban still in effect, the traditional fireworks show that concludes each day has been replaced with a laser light show.

“In the tradition of London’s Royal Fireworks above the Thames, the New Market Village will present a special Royal Finale in honor of the King and Queen,” Love said. “Marking the close of the day, the Royal Finale: Queen Titania’s Magical Light Show will take place at dark above the Arena.”

The festival lasts two months, which gives the staff a long offseason to prepare for the 50,000 people who attend each weekend. This time is spent repairing the shops, maintaining the grounds and setting up promotional events. Many of the performers travel in a circuit from festival to festival.

“Most people think October arrives and we just flip on a switch and it’s all here, but that’s hardly the case,” Love said. “We have a lot to prepare and maintain throughout the year from the physical grounds of the festival all the way up to our actual cast members.”

There are only three weekends left this year to experience a place where you can eat steak on a stick, participate in a Barbarian battle-crying contest, and feel fashionable wearing outrageously outdated garb.

The festival gates are open only Saturdays, Sundays and the Friday after Thanksgiving from 9 a.m. to dusk. Adult tickets at the gate are $25 and child tickets are $12. Visit www.texrenfest for more information, a festival map, and a list of show times.




The Signal reporter Daniel Agee attended the Texas Renaissance Festival to see what exactly happens at the nation’s largest Renaissance festival.

Debra Machemehl

The Signal

Radmilla Cody, a Native American award-winning singer, one of National Public Radio’s Great 50 Voices and an anti-domestic violence activist, will share her story of how she has experienced and overcome racism, domestic violence and personal struggles in her life.

As part of the Native American Heritage Month celebration on campus, the Anthropology department and Office of Intercultural and International Student Services are hosting “An evening with Radmilla Cody” Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Forest Room, located in the Bayou Building.

“The Houston Endowment of the Arts has made it possible for the University of Houston-Clear Lake to bring a stunning artist, who has an amazing story of hope, for our faculty, staff and students to hear,” said Charlotte Haney, anthropology professor.

Cody connects her personal life and Navajo culture through a performance of songs and dialogue as a biracial woman to communicate a positive message for her audience.

“I think attending this event is a wonderful way for our students to get in touch with Native American performing culture, meet the passionate outspoken artist and explore issues of domestic abuse and bicultural identity,” said Eva Jane Terekhova, anthropology program research assistant.

Cody was abandoned by her Navajo mother and African-American father and raised by her Navajo grandmother, Dorothy. She taught Cody aspects of the Navajo culture like weaving and sheep herding. Cody credits her success to her grandmother’s presence in her life. Cody says that at 96 years of age, Dorothy is a strong, spiritual woman.

“She is the rock and salvation of my life,” Cody said. “I am very grateful to have her in my life. She is an amazing woman to be around and I just learned so much from her.”

Dorothy can only speak and understand Navajo – the only form of communication between the two women. Her grandmother reminds Cody that Navajo is her first language and Cody is very mindful of this when she makes public appearances.

Cody’s music merges her Navajo and African-American cultures with her grandmother’s teachings.

“My songs are really my strength, and these songs are part of my foundation spiritually,” Cody said. “It is what gets me through my everyday. Music has a lot of power.”

As a child, Cody not only dealt with racism and bullying from children at school, but also faced racism from family members. Cody persevered with the support and guidance of her grandmother.

After being crowned the first biracial Miss Navajo in 1997 at the age of 21, Cody’s life took a downward turn. She was in an abusive relationship with a man who was involved in drug trafficking. The volatile relationship resulted in charges filed against her and a sentence of 21 months in a federal correctional facility in 2002.

When she was released, Cody had to heal from her experience and involvement in a violent relationship. She did by returning to her Navajo heritage through music and talking about her experiences. She now travels around the world sharing her story and striving to give hope to everyone who listens.

A friend encouraged Cody to go back to school and she graduated last semester with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. She is currently taking classes and working on applying to graduate school. Completing her higher education is a personal goal for Cody, but she also wants to be an example for women who are survivors or victims of domestic abuse to see that if she can do it, then so can they.

“It is very important to let other women see the strength that comes from being able to move forward,” Cody said. “Nobody can ever take away your education, no one.”

Cody worked with producer and director Angela Webb on the documentary “Hearing Radmilla,” which examines the difficulties in Cody’s life. The film takes a look at racism and violence toward women while focusing on the Navajo culture and its traditions.

Cody’s message is simple: anyone can make serious mistakes and recover from them, and it is OK to be different. It is a matter of embracing and being proud of whom you are.

“When you can respect other people’s culture and people can respect your culture, it makes life greater and more beautiful,” Cody said.

For more information about this event, contact Professor Charlotte Haney at HaneyC@uhcl.edu.

Graphic created by Paul Lopez: The Signal.

Cody Hardin

The Signal

A dark, dim night falls upon Westheimer Road.

On one of Houston’s busiest and cultured strips of pavement, figures slowly creep, passing established hotspots such as Anvil Bar and Agora. Some figures mangled in blood with violent wounds and tattered clothing; some in business suits, lumbering no different than a burnt-out Monday morning warrior.

The figures make their way into the light and, for a moment, Houston becomes Evans City, PA, home of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead.” These zombies aren’t out for blood or brains; they’re out for charity.

The Houston Zombie Walk, held Oct. 22 is the latest to have the undead rise for the needy, with the walk benefitting the Friends For Life organization. Oddly enough, Friends For Life is an organization that founder Amy Lewis considers “a true no-kill animal shelter and rescue organization.”

Originating four years ago in 2007, the walk involves people dressing as zombies and then walking either for charities or for different causes, with some people making personal statements with their costumes.

It’s also taken off in those four years.

“The first year I did very little promotion and 100 people showed up, then the second 300,” Lewis said. “Last year, for our Third Annual Houston Zombie walk, we gained the support of 900 zombies.”

The meteoric rise in popularity of the walks can perhaps be attributed to the renewed interest of zombies in pop culture.

AMC’s popular television series “The Walking Dead” recently garnered a 7.3 million viewer rating in its season two premiere. Counting the show’s repeat, the number shot up to 11 million viewers in one night. The show also set a basic cable series record of a 3.8 rating among the 18-49 adult demographic.

Spawned by classic films such as Romero’s “Night Of The Living Dead” and the popular video game “Left 4 Dead,” zombies are seeing a resurgence in popularity, even among the current vampire hype set in motion by the “Twilight” series.

It’s even sparked a rejuvenation in musical influences.

Johnny Khaos, guitarist for Houston zombie band The Bus Stops, explained the band’s influence by the culture.

“Zombies are kind of a metaphor for us as humans and society,” Khaos said. “We started out ‘whole’ and we decompose over time and we all strive for whatever our basic needs are.”

Khaos cites popular zombie band The Misfits as his inspiration for the concept of his band, as well as Romero.

“Even if they didn’t make anymore zombie flicks, we’d still be a zombie band,” Khaos said. “We’d just use old Romero films instead of new ones.”

The band not only draws on the films for influence on them – the movies also serve as the band’s lighting.

“Basically what we do is project the creepos and dead guys over us as we play,” Khaos said. “It’s a really cool lighting effect.”

The zombie walks aren’t just reserved to the Houston area, as other zombie walks, though not associated with the Houston event, are popping up in the area, Kemah recently hosted one Oct. 8 when local zombies invaded the Kemah Boardwalk.

Zombies take to the island of Galveston Oct. 27 at 8:30 p.m. for a zombie pub crawl that covers such popular Strand bars as Molly’s Old Cellar Bar, 21, Voodoo Lounge as well as others and finally converges back to Molly’s for a final zombie party. More details on the event can be found on Molly’s Facebook page, and make-up artists will be available before the event for attendee’s that need to add a bit more rigor mortis to their corpses’.

Regardless if zombies are invading the traditional mall or marching through asphalt cemeteries for charity, the numbers don’t lie, the undead are certainly far from un-cool.

The Signal reporter Araina Edwards and videographer Chynna DeHoyos attended the Zombie Walk at the Kemah Boardwalk Oct. 8.

This episode of “The Pub,” in which zombies invade The Signal, was originally published online Oct. 26, 2009. “The Pub” was an online show produced by members of The Signal staff that took a humorous and sometimes fictional look at life in the Student Publications Office. “The Pub” was produced in the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters.

Craig Brewer

Julianne Hough