MAY 19, 2015
A&E
THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE
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Throwback ‘Star Trek’ games are worth revisiting
‘Ex Machina’ film asks big questions in small ways
Seawolves No. 2 in GNAC Championships
UAA’s senior leaders take furloughs this summer By George Hyde
gchyde@thenorthernlight.org
PHOTO BY ADAM EBERHARDT
Distance Runner Nathan Kipchumba races in the men’s 800-meter preliminary during the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Oregon, on May 8.
By Nolin Ainsworth
sports@thenorthernlight.org
The UAA men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams each placed second at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships hosted by Western Oregon University earlier this month. A podium sweep in the men’s 10,000 and 5,000-meter races, three meetrecord performances on the women’s side and a 220-foot javelin throw by one senior were several highlights for the Seawolves in the GNAC championships May 8-9. Western Washington University squeezed out the men’s championship, bettering the Green and Gold by 2 points, which translates to a fraction of a second in this sport. “It came to the very last 20 meters of the men’s 4x (400-meter relay). I mean, we lost by 0.08 seconds. If we’d have won that we would have been tied,” said head coach Matt Friess of the last race of the meet. “We knew it was going to be really close all along and we edged Western Washington by a few points indoors, they edged us by a few points outdoors.” Both Franz Burghagen and Elliot Bauer, both seniors, repeated as champions in their respective events of javelin toss and 400-meter hurdles. The three-headed monster of junior Victor Samoei, freshman Henry Cheseto and junior Dominik Notz finished 1-2-3 in the men’s 10,000-meter race. The following
day, senior Dylan Anthony got in on the action, teaming up with Cheseto and Notz to complete another podium sweep — this time in the 5000-meter Anthony, who ran for Kodiak High School, won the event in a blistering 14:39.17 seconds. On the women’s side, Seattle Pacific was victorious over the rest of the competition with 183 points and enjoyed a much more comfortable margin of victory of 29 points. Coach Friess was proud of his female bunch, which did not have a deep roster to begin with. “It is a pretty amazing crew really,” said Friess, “We had ... 13 or 14 athletes compared to, you know, 24 or 25 athletes on the other teams.” The “amazing crew” included sophomore sprinter Jamie Ashcroft and senior hurdler Hayleigh Lloyd. Both left conference championships with new meet-records to their name. Ashcroft won the 100-meter and 200-meter titles. She ran the fastest GNAC Championships 100-meter in the preliminaries on Friday before going on to win the final heat the next day. Ashcroft set the meet-record in the 200-meter dash on Saturday with a time of 24.45 seconds. Lloyd was victorious in the 400-meter hurdles, setting the meet-record in 1:00.29. Her fellow hurdler Rosie Smith didn’t do too bad either. She beat out the rest of the competition in the 100-meter
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hurdles. It was Smith’s first time winning the title in that event. Last but not least, junior Karolin Anders took home both the long jump and heptathlon individual titles. A heptathlon is a multi-sport event that includes the 100-meter, 200-meter, shot put, javelin, high jump, long jump and 800-meter. The Seawolves will send seven women and four men for the NCAA Championships this weekend in the Allendale, Michigan. Anders, Ashcroft, Lloyd, Beatrice Decker, Amy Johnston, Caroline Kurgat and Jessica Pahkala will be lacing it up for the UAA women. The men will be represented by two throwers and two runners. Both Notz and Cheseto are looking to make a splash in the 5,000-meter Burghagen and Cody Parker will provide each other some friendly competition in the javelin throw. The meet kicks off on Thursday and runs until Saturday.
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University of Alaska Anchorage leadership will take furloughs this July, according to a recent statement from UAA. Across the University of Alaska system, 167 employees will be affected — 69 of which work at UAA. These furloughs will last anywhere from five to 10 days, depending on the position. They will save the system about $600,000, and they will save UAA in particular $270,000. “This is the first of many painful decisions UAA will have to make,” said UAA Chancellor Tom Case in a press statement. “By starting with furloughs at the top, we hope to avoid pay reductions for those who can least afford it.” UAA also plans to announce additional plans to reduce spending, including layoffs, reduced work assignments and position eliminations — the majority of which are in the university’s administrative offices. For academics, this also includes increased teaching hours for faculty, increasing class sizes and reduced hires. According to Ronald Kamahele, director of Human Resources at UAA, the furloughs, at the moment, will not affect lower positions, and they will ultimately help the system. “The leadership furlough is a reasonable step to take in order to help address the reduction in state support for the University expected in Fiscal Year 2016,” said Kamahele. These furloughs come off the heels of budget cuts from Governor Bill Walker and the legislature. UA’s operating budget was reduced from the last fiscal year by a margin of 8.1 percent, or $29.88 million. This has led to speculation among students and faculty of possible cut programs and layoffs, but the furloughs appear to be an attempt to reduce those kinds of risks. However, Kamahele said that the attempt might not be enough. “(The furlough,) by no means, addresses the full budget cut expected in Fiscal Year 2016. The announcement states ‘further cost reduction measures will be announced,’ but those cost reduction measures will be unique to each university campus,” said Kamahele. Kamahele also reassured that the furloughs are temporary, and that it will not extend beyond senior leadership. “Furloughs are temporary in nature,” said Kamahele. “It is unknown at this time if at this time a furlough will be extended to Fiscal Year 2017.” As tough as the situation may seem, Chancellor Tom Case seemed hopeful in the press release. “I know this news seems grim, but we all know that UAA is an amazing university with truly outstanding faculty, staff and students,” said Case in the release. “Difficult times promote creative thinking, and I am confident our community will come together to use this situation to become an even better and stronger university.”
This is a developing story, as details on further cost-cutting measures have yet to come to light. For further future information on the situation go to http://thenorthernlight.org.
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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
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MEET THE SEAWOLF
Are cameras making police and civilians more accountable? By Nolin Ainsworth
sports@thenorthernlight.org
Most people have had the experience of whipping out our smartphones to capture an out-of-the-ordinary event in public to share on Facebook or YouTube. A global audience comes built in with video-sharing platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo, that is, if you can deliver what people like. And, boy, do humans love the weird and abnormal: The moose holding up three lanes of traffic. The celebrity riding the subway. The policeman offering winter boots to a homeless man. Candid smartphone videos like these can catch fire on YouTube, breaking the 1 million views barrier in a relatively short amount of time. But not everything uploaded to YouTube by average Joes is funny; some of it is downright inciting and provocative. And yet these videos can generate views in the millions. UAA assistant professor Doug Kelly in the Department of Journalism and Communications is well aware of this contemporary phenomenon. The secondyear instructor at UAA earned his doctorate in mass communication and history at the University of Maine. Having researched the history of photographic technology, Kelly asked a simple but uncommonly heard question: “Are all these cameras good for us?” The United States is saturated with
cameras of all kinds: surveillance, street and especially smartphone. “It wasn’t just I’m deciding to carry a separate camera around, but I’m carrying a device that has a camera in it and this device is with me every minute of the day,” said Kelly. But as with any big question, he needed to break it up into smaller ones if he ever wanted to answer the big one. With some help from his advisor, he turned his attention to what he refers to as the “lowest-level, highest stakes” situation in which cameras can play a vital role: police-civilian interactions. After all, sworn officers have the authority to use lethal force on a suspect when they believe is putting their life in danger. Professor Kelly explains the significance of video in such incidents, “The accountability would be ... not just a witness who said, ‘I saw this,’ but here is a piece of evidence in the digital file, the image or the video clip of what the sworn officer did.” So for his doctorate work, Kelly examined 14 cases of police-civilian interactions that resulted in some kind of civil suit. The study was limited in scope to American public space between the years of 2005-2010. Kelly said the timing of the cases was a critical component of the study. “One of the important factors is not just there is a camera recording (the event). That was common before 2005,” Kelly said. “But in 2005, that was a watershed date that now we have shared
video online in an open, publicly accessible platform.” Hello YouTube. This single website made it possible for civilians to share video online without the threat of the police suppressing or destroying it. Previously, if police saw a bystander filming a scuffle, they would try to confiscate the equipment or demand that it was deleted immediately. The UAA professor used only publicly accessible documents in his research. He said this would allow anyone wishing to fact-check his work the ability to do so. Kelly used such documents as court files, YouTube videos, newspaper articles and local news broadcasts to collect his information. In total, Kelly believes he looked at more than 4,000 documents from start to finish. Of the 14 cases he looked at, some were of cases in which no video file existed. And of the ones where video file did exist, he looked at times when the video was not made public. One of the emergent theories Kelly outlined pertained to the settlements in the civil cases. He found the amount of money a plaintiff receives as settlement is heavily dependent on whether there is online video or not. In every all the cases he looked at, there is a minimum of a fourfold increase in compensation when an online video was available versus not. In the case of the shooting of Oscar Grant on Jan. 1, 2009, the settlement was in the millions. The incident was shot from sev-
eral vantage points in a subway station. Two years ago, the event was made into the movie “Fruitvale Station,” which incorporated some of that live bystander footage. Kelly said the narrative is still being written. He has noticed police are already treating suspect altercations differently following the Ferguson protests. “Now we are seeing, almost on a weekly basis, where a sworn officer, a police officer, or a sheriff’s deputy is caught on video behaving unprofessionally and they are almost immediately suspended, fired, or charged criminally and they are actually in jail,” said Kelly. “That is brand new, that is something that as of the end of my research has not happened, and I would point directly to Ferguson ... in enforcing that change.” Before the Michael Brown shooting, the court cases could drag on for years, even with video, according to Kelly. But just don’t think the goal of Kelly’s research was to shame police. In one of the cases, the video actually absolved a police officer’s supposed blunder. “Whether you are a civilian and someone did something they shouldn’t have done to you, or you are a cop and doing what you are supposed to do — the video is your friend.” Douglas A. Kelly is the author of “Accountability by Camera,” which was published July 15, 2014. The book summarizes his doctorate research on how video influences police-civilian interactions in American public space.
Is the Marvel universe becoming a mess? In the year 2013, an alien brain slug from one of the galaxy’s most feared empires crash-landed on Earth and assumed control of a lowly reporter at this newspaper. These are his stories.
By Klax Zlubzecon
Translated by George Hyde Many fantasy and “hero’s journey” movies have some sort of dark prophecy that the protagonist must overcome, so it’s only fitting that I, the Northern Light’s supernatural alien prophet, give one to Marvel’s cinematic world of superheroes: the Marvel movie craze is a bubble, and all bubbles must burst. For a while, in 2014, it looked as if Marvel could have overcame this ultimatum. After “The Avengers” in 2012, the studio just kept cranking out hit after hit. While “Iron Man 3” wasn’t too hot, Thor, Captain America, and even D-listers like the Guardians of the Galaxy were starring in critically acclaimed box office smashes. They’d had the odd stinker in the past, like “The Incredible Hulk” or the first “Thor,” but in 2014, it seemed like they could do no wrong. And then “Age of Ultron” happened.
Definitely not a bad movie, but it feels incredibly bloated. And while that’s not going to be an issue with every Marvel movie after this one, it’s definitely an issue with Marvel’s gigantic, overarching universe. But perhaps I should start at the beginning. In 2008, Marvel and Paramount released the first “Iron Man,” a critical and commercial success. An excellent film with an easy story to follow, with a hint at the very end that there’s more to this universe than meets the eye. A month later, “The Incredible Hulk” came out to pretty middling reception, but it kept the Marvel ball rolling with a cameo at the end from none other than Tony Stark, Iron Man himself. And future Marvel films started doing that too; “Iron Man 2” ended with a shot of Thor’s hammer, and “Captain America:
The First Avenger” dispensed with the pleasantries and just showed a trailer for “The Avengers” after the credits rolled. Then “The Avengers” happened, in 2012. Marvel had built this movie up not just to be a mere movie, but a gigantic, worldwide cultural event, and it didn’t disappoint. Penned by the genius Joss Whedon, it was well-written, well-acted, and felt like the culmination that people were expecting it to be, with a hook near the end to let audiences know that it wasn’t over yet. The next year, the new wave of Marvel films started. But instead of building to a huge finale, these films tried to stand on their own more than their predecessors, and they wholly succeeded. They still contained hints of an upcoming, final battle, but you could pop in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” or “Guardians of the Galaxy” — an excellent documentary on space pirates, but it missed out on Slug Empire coverage — and still be able have a good time without seeing the rest of the canon. But then, a few weeks ago, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” released, and the reception was an audience-wide, “Yeah, I guess that was good.” And in terms of writing and characterization, it was good. But it was trying to tie together all of these plot-lines that, until now, stood alone. The sinister organization from “Winter Soldier” pops up, and is quickly defeated before the plot properly starts up. Thor has a vision related to his antics in “The Dark World,” but again, it’s brought up and quickly forgotten. “Ultron” tried to tie in with so many movies, and with Marvel’s slate of upcoming movies, I’m worried that it’s going to get insane. The upcoming
“Captain America: Civil War” brings all the heroes back again, with a character from “The Incredible Hulk” set to appear for the first time since 2008, as if from nowhere. Black Panther is set to appear, and his own movie isn’t even coming out until 2018. And that’s not to mention how it’ll tie into the new Thor movie or “Ant-Man” or “Doctor Strange,” which we know nothing about, despite it coming out in less than two years. Plus there’s Spider-Man, since Marvel just got the film rights back (sort of, it’s a long story), and it’s all got to tie neatly into a two-part “Avengers” finale featuring ... uh ... having trouble counting ... I think it’s 17 heroes. SEVENTEEN. No matter how much it’s hyped up or given a back-story through past movies, there is no way in hell a story can cohesively feature seventeen different protagonists. You’ve gotta feel bad for Thanos, the ultimate villain they’ll probably face in the grand finale; he’s got way, way too many awesome, super-powered heroes to fight. But he’s searching for the six Infinity Stones, which might help him. We know of four, none of which are in his hands, and there are two still out there. OH, GOD, WE’RE LOST AGAIN. George was raised in a family of comic book nerds, and even he’s lost. I’m a prophetic alien and I’m lost. But my being lost may serve to fulfill my prophecy: the Marvel Cinematic Universe bubble is growing, and it will burst. And given how good the films have been, I hope they can prove me wrong.
RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.
EMBRACE THE SEAWOLF SLUG.
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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
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Strange trails: Williwaw Lakes Loop A well-meaning column rife with clunky metaphors and horrible advice, Orange Rhymes With is the goto place to break the monotony of classes and laugh at someone else’s misfortune.
By Evan Dodd Contributor
In the interest of getting as much backpacking in before soul-sucking summer jobs could get in the way, I recently set out with two friends on a three-day trip to celebrate the end of a long semester. Sean and Chase, an Eagle Scout and amateur mountaineer respectively, were both capable outdoorsman and fairly used to unexpected disasters following the “snowmachine through the ice” incident at Lake Louise the previous semester. In theory the route was very simple, a loop connecting two valleys that contained 19 various lakes and a bit of elevation gain. Starting at the Prospect Heights trailhead, we were set to head up the valley alongside the Middle Fork of Campbell Creek and make camp near the base of Mount Williwaw, selecting a site somewhere near one of the early lakes. Day two was set to include a summit attempt (by Chase alone, as he was the only one with crampons, an axe and the tenacity to do so) and then a traverse over Long Lake Pass to the adjacent valley to set up the second camp. Finally, day three was a simple hike down the adjacent valley along the North Fork of Campbell Creek and a quick trek over Near Point to complete the loop. I say “in theory” because the early season conditions meant that the trail was often obscured by waist deep snow, which because shoulder deep and nigh impassable by the time we reached the pass. The first day was easygoing, as the only obstacles were mud, bear tracks the size of Sean’s head and a regrettably interrupted marriage proposal of a couple that had assumed to be in a secluded riverside venue. Continuing on, we made camp near the banks of a dried up lake, and feasted on a two-bean Mexican chorizo chili-mac that I was as glad to east as I was to stop carrying it. The second day, Chase set off at 6 a.m. to summit Mount Williwaw — a feat that, given the deep snow, howling winds and hair raising cornices, shouldn’t be understated. About the time Sean and I finally arose and got around to making breakfast, Chase had returned with adrenaline, pictures and road rash extending down his entire torso from an impromptu slide. While it was no K2, Mount Williwaw is the highest peak in the Chugach Front Range this side of Ship Creek, and the early season conditions made for a thrilling climb that Sean and I weren’t entirely upset to have missed. Moving forward we made our way up the saddle to cross over Long Lake Pass. Treated with stunning views, an over abundance of grizzly tracks and trail that grew more obscured by snow with every step we slowly trekked up the incline. Nearing the saddle, we branched off slightly, with Chase opting for the quick ascent over the ridge while Sean and I (noting the cliff-like topography on the map) tried to swing wide
The group rests near a high mountain lake at the end of the Williwaw valley
Chase McCavit, Sean Marshall and Evan Dodd pause for a break at the base of Mount Williwaw after McCavit’s successful summit.
around the ridge for what we assumed was an easier descent. We quickly found that both routes were incorrect, as the real trail had been long buried under impassable snow. Losing sight of Chase, Sean and I tried to descend down the rocky snow covered ridge with varying degrees of success. Heights have never bothered me, and I don’t tend to scare easily. However, when the howling wind dragged my pack around and sent me sliding down a near vertical gully, there was a strong sense of panic before I was able to self-arrest by frantically jamming my trekking poles into the snow. With a growing sense of dread, Sean and I kept worriedly checking the jagged peak Chase had to have crossed before we saw a tiny yellow speck thousands of feet above us. Unbeknownst to anyone, Chase appeared to have summitted Mt. Elliott and descended over the steep cliffs on the other side. Cliffed-out and unable to climb back up or descend any further, he was attempting to lower his pack via rope past several cliffs to grant himself greater mobility on his descent. This worked, for a time, until we saw the orange pack hurtling down the cliffs with Chase in a less than rapid furious pursuit. Regrouping and making another several miles of headway we made camp for the night, ready to sleep off what had been a painfully fun day. The next morning we awoke to winds so string that the tent had been compressed over us during the night. Heading out at 6 a.m. without breakfast or a much-needed water refill was less than ideal, but beat trying to light my stove and prepare a meal in the howling katabatic winds. Again missing the trail due to snow coverage, we made our way to Near Point, descending down the other side into what became a two-hour boxing match with an endless patch of alders. Finally reaching the car after a six-hour foodless trek, we broke what I can only assume were several speed limits and laws of physics in a quest to find the greasiest burger possible. And so we kicked off the hiking season with a bang, a spectacular lack of major injuries and a crash course in navigation. With any luck, it will be the first of many misadventures for the upcoming summer.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF EVAN DODD
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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
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‘Ex Machina’ asks big questions in small ways
By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor
“What you’re doing here,” young coder Caleb (Domhall Gleeson, “Unbroken”) tells the billionaire tech tycoon Nathan (Oscar Isaac, “A Most Violent Year”) in “Ex Machina,” “is not the work of men. It’s the work of gods.” This exchange has ripples through the whole narrative, and the ways Caleb and Nathan interpret it over the film’s 110-minute running time reveals new depths to their characters and new motivations for their actions. Ultimately, debuting director, long-time screenwriter Alex Garland makes “what” Nathan is doing very clear and unambiguous: He is creating the world’s first consciously aware artificial intelligence. It is the “how” and “why” that concern him most. Upon winning an online competition, Caleb travels to the secluded compound of his boss, Nathan. Over the years, Nathan has developed the artificial intelligence Ava (Alicia Vikander, “Seventh Son”) and Caleb is a kind of advanced Turing test, having conversations with Ava during monitored sessions to determine if she is truly conscious. Alician Vikander plays Ava so well that it’s hard to know her intentions. Like Jeff Bridges in “Starman,” Vikander moves like an infant: uncomfortable, stilted and still discovering the world around her. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Nathan seems to have it all figured out. He moves and speaks naturally. Isaac injects a loner sympathy to the character, despite his massive pitfalls. Completing the dynamic, Gleeson plays Caleb as a foil to Nathan. If Nathan hadn’t invented the world’s biggest search engine at 13, he would have ended up like his friendless, loveless employee. It’s when all three of these characters begin to weave their complicated relationships that the movie finds its footing. Paradoxically, the most
human conversations in the movie happen between Ava and Caleb. For the first two acts, these conversations and tense interactions between Nathan and Caleb add intellectual punch to a high-concept movie. But, ultimately, like Garland’s screenplay for the apocalyptic thriller “28 Days Later” and the sci-fi horror “Sunshine,” “Ex Machina” loses its way in the last act. Where the movie was something original at first, it becomes your standard “man who tries to play God” narrative with the kind of consequences that have pervaded artificial intelligence tales since the early days of sci-fi. “Ex Machina” is at its best when dealing with the humanity of its characters. Believing that doing the “work of gods” makes him a god, Nathan reveals the neuroses isolation has afforded him, and Caleb, alone for most of his life, finds more comfort in talking tech than talking emotions. Ultimately, Nathan sees himself as a god. His mistake was thinking his creations would too.
TITLE “Ex Machina”
RELEASE DATE April 10, 2015
DIRECTORS Alex Garland
GENRE Sci-Fi
COUNTRY United Kingdom
A&E
‘Moose the Movie’
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
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GAME REVIEW
Old ‘Star Trek’ games still impress
‘Like “Sharknado” without the sharks … and there’s only one of him… and he’s a moose.’
By George Hyde
gchyde@thenorthernlight.org
By Samantha Davenport arts@thenorthernlight.org
Chad Carpenter, local cartoonist known for his famous “Tundra” comic strip, is excited about his new project that recently came to life. His new film “Moose the Movie” has been quite the talk for the past several weeks. Carpenter talked to The Northern Light about his initial inspiration for the movie. “I got back home from Fairbanks two years ago, and since it’s a six-hour drive, I had plenty of time to think about stuff. I always dabbled in video projects, and one day I decided that it would be fun to do one and make it as Alaskan as possible. The movies I always liked as a kid were independent films, ones that didn’t cost a lot to make but put a lot of heart and soul into it. It has always meant more than the 200 million (dollar) blockbusters,” said Carpenter. Carpenter says that he has been approached by Regal Cinemas and Coming Attractions Theatres. Regal Cinemas is picking the film up for around 10-12 movie theaters in the state and Coming Attractions Theatres wants to put the movie into northwest theaters. There were many members of the community that contributed to the film. Through months of production, props that were needed were posted on the Moose website. From old trailers to trucks, the people provided what was needed. Benji Beach appeared in the film as an extra and had a song featured in the film. “I got to be an extra for a couple days of shooting — it was a blast! I also had the opportunity to work alongside Jon Ong to do a song for the movie. Jon has worked with legends like Barbra Streisand and Rod Steward. The song is called “Drift in the Wind,” and you’ve got to see the movie to hear it. You can hear more of my music on iTunes,” said Beach. The film stars Zack Lanphier as Ranger Zack Del Pollo. Lanphier has known Carpenter since his youth, and he is currently a Wasilla High School history teacher. “I have known Chad since I was 10 years old, when he would pay me $2 to leave him alone for two hours while he worked at the fair. Our relationship has always been a little unique to say the least. So two years ago when he mentioned he wanted to make a movie and have me be a small part of it, I was excited. I learned so much on set, mainly because I had no business being there! I had zero idea what I was doing and no clue what I had gotten myself into. I continue to tell people I basically acted like myself and my face did stupid things,” said Lanphier. Starting May 22, Tikahtnu’s Regal Cinema will be showing the movie. Tickets are available at www.regmovies.com or at the door. “Go and see ‘Moose.’ The cast, crew, and musicians that worked on the film are not only some of the funniest people I know, but also the friendliest. It is definitely worth carving out time in your busy schedule to see!” said Beach.
It seems as if Good Old Games, or GOG, is on a roll this year. The digital-rights-management-free game distributor has been releasing fantastic games this year, new and old, from “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron,” to “Hand of Fate,” to a version of “Saints Row 2” that actually works properly. Most interestingly thus far, though, are a pair of “Star Trek” point-and-click adventure games that haven’t seen the light of day for more than two decades: “Star Trek: 25th Anniversary,” and “Star Trek: Judgment Rites.” The games take place during the fourth and fifth year of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s five-year journey, respectively. Many fans look at these games as if they were the missing fourth and fifth seasons of the original series, and instead of having an overarching plot, the games feature several mostly self-contained episodes, with some over-reaching elements and characters in some cases. “Judgment Rites” was a direct sequel released a year after “25th Anniversary,” so the two games are extremely similar to each other. The games are split into two sections: on board the Enterprise, and on foot during missions. On the Enterprise, players will be spending most of their time fighting other spacecraft, and here the game feels like a poor man’s “Wing Commander;” simple space combat that often feels a bit unfair. Thankfully, there’s only about one per episode, and there’s an option in “Judgment Rites” to do away with them entirely.
TITLE Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Star Trek: Judgment Rites ”
DEVELOPER Interplay
The other gameplay half involves Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a red-shirt on the planet or station itself. Here, it resembles a point-and-click adventure game like “Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders.” The games do contain some puzzles — some of which rely on knowledge of real-world chemistry or mathematics, which should no doubt either please or disgust most students here on campus — but for the most part, they’re easier than most other point-and-click adventures out there. In fact, the focus is largely on storytelling, with branching dialogue options and multiple ways to resolve certain scenarios. Because of this, “25th Anniversary” and “Judgment Rites” feel more like Telltale’s “The Walking Dead” than they do something like “Grim Fandango.” Adding to this is authentic voiceacting and sound effects from the show, which adds an incredible sheen of authenticity. And since these games came out in 1992 and 1993, this includes DeForest Kelley in his last role as McCoy. While it’s easy to tell that the actors were (and still are) getting too old for their roles, it was still a wonderful gesture, and it adds a lot to the experience. If you’re in any way a “Star Trek” fan, these are two games you need to pick up. These titles feel like the fourth and fifth seasons that the original series never had, and fans of the show will recognize a lot of the cameos and lore at hand. And for only $6 each, it’s an easy sell to boot.
PLATFORMS PC, Mac, Linux GENRE Point-and-click adventure
RELEASE DATE JUNE 8, 1992 (25th Anniversary), December 1, 1993 (Judgment Rites), May 7, 2014 (GOG re-release)
06 | A&E
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
Q&A with Young Dubliners
PHOTO BY DAVID SAFIAN
By Samantha Davenport arts@thenorthernlight.org
The Young Dubliners have been around since the late 1980s and were formed by Keith Roberts and former member Paul O’ Toole. Through the years, the band has released 10 albums and has toured through the United States and Europe. Keith Roberts, lead singer and songwriter, talked to The Northern Light about his life as a musician and his favorite places to perform thus far. TNL: You’ve been in the band since its start in 1988. When you formed this band, what were you hoping to accomplish? Roberts: “I owned a pub in Los Angeles, and I wanted a band that played every weekend in Los Angeles. All of a sudden we had a record deal and started getting hit up in the bar. Eventually, the bar was sold out every night. We got offered a song on a contemplation album and we ended up being the only one to airplay nationally. It’s what I wanted to do as a living so I sold the bar and went on the road and sold the first album in 1995 and have been on the road ever since.
What’s your favorite part of performing? “It kind of amazes me after all these years we still play. When you do this for so long, you lose a little bit of a shine or something. Life throws you curve balls and you end up going to places that you’ve never been, your family grows, etc. we love playing those shows. Now that we have been playing so long, you look forward to playing the songs you write. You can play those and end up enjoying it now instead of when you did when you were younger and didn’t know what.”
Where is the coolest place you’ve performed? “Alaska is the coolest place to perform. A lot of places stand out where the crowds are always great. In all honesty Alaska is a place we love to play. We love it so much so we’ll spread it out from Homer to Fairbanks. I love the great outdoors so that helps too; you guys check all the boxes for me. We try and come up to Alaska at least once a year.” Have you ever met an idol of yours or musical legend that you’ve always looked up to? “One of the well known facts about being a musician is they turn out to be assholes. Mike Scott from The Waterboys was a huge influence on me, he inspired me and I waited to meet him at the event. I had drank so much I couldn’t even form two words together. I wasn’t so drunk that I realized what was happening, but speaking was definitely a problem at the time. I walked over to the porta potties at the event after sobering up a bit and saw him again. He said, ‘You guys should come watch the show from the couches on the side of the stage!’ He told me that they went on in fifteen minutes after The Flaming Lips opened for them. In that time I got myself drunker than I had in that whole day. I had a blast with them and they had such a wild show. That was a highlight for me since he was such a nice guy.”
Music in the Park: A summer tradition By Victoria Petersen
vgpetersen@thenorthernlight.org
During the months of May through September, downtown Anchorage can seem saturated with tourists and constant bustle. During the time of the midnight sun, Anchorage’s local artists come out to play for the locals and travelers alike. Music in the Park, which has been consistently running for more than 13 years, is a staple event for Anchorites and a pleasant surprise for tourist passers-by during the warm summer months. This summer the concert series will be running from noon to 1 p.m. from June 3 to Aug. 14;,showcasing artists from the Alaska Native Heritage Center every Friday and then a local musician every Wednesday. Music in the Park began in 2002 and grown steadily over the years. Anchorage Downtown Partnership events director Sofia Fouquet believes in room for even more growth and is excited about the changes. “In the beginning, a lot of our operations were small, but we wanted to put music downtown. We were choosing from a fairly small pool of artists, and now there are more artists entering the scene, making it more difficult to choose which artists to showcase. This year we actually added
five additional shows to showcase. We are more excited every year. I want to eventually add more days and more music and I love to support this,” said Fouquet. With a bigger music scene in Anchorage and Alaska, the Anchorage downtown Partnership is looking for large variety of musicians to showcase. “We (Anchorage Downtown Partnership)… feature different bands and artists from singersongwriters to steampunk ... to Americana and psychedelic rock,” said Fouquet. Performing at music in the park in the recent past and as well as this year Michael Faubion of the Nuther Brothers reflects on the consistent attention bands that are showcased get when they play downtown for such a popular event. “The Nuther Brothers have played music in the park sets for the past four or five years. It consistently draws downtowners and tourists passing by. Especially if it’s a nice sunny day,” said Faubion. The event takes place every Wednesday and Friday from noon to 1 p.m. in downtown Anchorage Peratrovich Park located on the corner of Fourth Avenue and E Street.
MUSIC IN THE PARK SCHEDULE
June 3rd: Hannah Yoter 5th: Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) 10th: Chris Lesesne 12th: Midnight Starlight 17th: Melissa Fischer 19th: ANHC 24th: Nuther Brothers 26th: Conway Seavey
July 1st: SpeNerds 3rd: ANHC 8th: John Damberg Jazz Quartet 10th: Todd Grebe & Cold Country 15th: Emma Hill 17th: ANHC 22nd: Hurricane Dave 24th: Will. H. Johnson 29th: We Are Rad 31st: ANHC
August 5th: Carhartt Brothers 7th: Harpies of Doum 12th: Silver Train Band 14th: ANHC
SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
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e t li e e v o r p s r e t s Seawolf track
Distance Runner Jesse Miller runs in the men’s 800-meter preliminary during the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Oregon, on May 8.
PHOTOS BY ADAM EBERHARDT
Jumper Tevin Gladden bends over the bar while competing in the high jump during the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Oregon, on May 8. Sprinter Rosie Smith leaps while competing in the women’s 100-meter hurdle preliminary during the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Oregon, on May 8.
Sprinter Jamie Ashcroft leads the field in the women’s 100-meter prelim during the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Oregon, on May 8.
Sprinter Adam Commandeur dashes down the final stretch in the men’s 400-meter preliminary during the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Oregon, on May 8.
Heptathlete Karoline Anders leaps over the sand pit while competing in the long jump during the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Oregon, on May 8.
CONTACTS The Northern Light is a proud member of the ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS. The Northern Light is a weekly UAA publication funded by student fees and advertising sales. The editors and writers of The Northern Light are solely responsible for its contents. Circulation is 2,500. The University of Alaska Anchorage provides equal education and employment opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, Vietnam-era or disabled-veteran status, physical or mental disability, changes in marital status, pregnancy or parenthood. The views expressed in the opinion section do not necessarily reflect the views of UAA or the Northern Light.足足足
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
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