March222011

MARCH 22, 2011

NEWS

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UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

Faculty Insurance:

Smoker until proven innocent

OPINION

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Islamophobia:

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MOTION

Justified through acts of violence

B1

Spring Break Photo Contest Winners

New Motion Insert:

Sports & Entertainment section

Japanese disaster leaves UAA grad student missing

By Matthew Caprioli The Northern Light

UAA’s relationship with Japan extends far beyond the Pacific plate boundary. According to Theodore Kassier, Director of the Office of International Affairs (OIA), UAA has four students currently studying in Japan. Three are at Hokkaido University of Education, and one is in Nagoyo.

As of March 18, UAA has not recommended that students leave Japan. OIA has kept in contact with all four students since the March 11 earthquake, and all are safe. Kassier said that he felt comfortable with the current situation because both locations are more than a hundred miles from the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima.

UAA graduate student Monty Dickinson, 26, has been missing since March 12.

Dickinson is one of two students missing that are part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET). He currently teaches English at Yonesaki elementary and junior high school.

“Friends in Japan have been unable to locate him, but it’s very difficult seeing as it’s hard to get into the town he was at, with phone lines also being down. He was last known to be evacuating to or from City Hall, possibly in

Spring break for Adam Martinez consisted of high sloping mountains, brisk winter air, a camera, and some very cool sunglasses.

SEE PAGE 08

Parking services denies Nazi affiliation

By Alden Lee

The Northern Light

If you’re a UAA student, odds are that you know about Parking Services.

Whether it’s that nice little parking ticket tucked under your windshield wiper or those dark green-clad individuals winding their way between the rows of parked cars, the UAA Call Team Officers (CTOs) make themselves known. Unfortunately, they’re not always seen in the best of light.

Philip Schmidt, a freshman at UAA and one of the newest employees of the UAA Parking Services, has already received experience dealing with this less than friendly attitude toward his job responsibilities.

“I’ve gotten people who come up shouting and cussing, mad about the fact that I’ve ticketed them,” he said, a little smile on his face as he thought back to some of his more interesting encounters.

“I had one guy who parked in a restricted zone, and he ripped the ticket off his windshield and waved it in my face, freaking out and telling me this was complete bull and he was tired of us Parking Nazis going around and ruining his day.”

Fortunately, things don’t usually get that extreme. Although Schmidt says he has gotten his share of angry individuals, his day to day experiences are generally more laid back.

“Those kind of episodes don’t happen

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very often, and for the most part I enjoy my job,” he said. “I get to walk around and pick up a lot of outdoor time, and this may sound cheesy, but I get to see the sun rise in the mornings. It’s a nice payoff I think.

“As far as ticketing goes, I only ticket people who are doing something they shouldn’t be. It’s not like I’ve got a grudge against anyone, and just throw tickets around to get back at them or anything; I’m only fining them when they’re in the wrong. After the Super Bowl I was halftempted to ticket cars with Green Bay stickers, but I didn’t. I’m not out to get people. I’m just doing my job.”

Many students complain about the lack of available parking space around campus, and Schmidt says he and the other CTOs fully understand that parking situations can oftentimes be “bogus.”

“We try to be as lenient as possible,” he said.

“What people need to realize is that it’s up to the CTO’s discretion to ticket a person or not. For instance, if we’re in the middle of ticketing someone and they come running up saying they just ran in for a quick second and are apologetic and considerate about it, we’ll generally let them slide. But if they’re coming out yelling and cursing at us and calling us Parking Nazis, of course we’re going to ticket them. It’s common sense.”

Schmidt was very adamant in pointing out that the CTOs are all students as well.

They are well aware of the frustrations

SEE PARKING PAGE 06

GRAPHIC BY COREY BEAUDRIE

Sendai, when the tsunami hit. Unfortunately, that’s the gist of what’s known about his whereabouts,” Teresa Combs, a friend of Dickinson, said.

Dickinson is one of ten thousands people missing that are currently listed on Google People Finder, a site formed in response to the 8.9 earthquake. Google also implemented a Missing Person Finder channel on Youtube.

Several people have posted on People Finder: Japan Earthquake 2011 looking for Dickinson. Dickson’s girlfriend Naomi Musashi has looked for him since March 12.

“I was able to talk to him on his cell phone right after the earthquake. He was taking shelter at the city hall but I think that was before the tsunami. After that I haven’t been able to contact him. If there is anyone who knows something, anything at all, please let me know,” Musashi wrote.

Unlike UAA, many universities with study abroad programs have encouraged or forced their students to leave Japan. The California State University system, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University have all withdrawn their students. At printing time, all their students had been returned to the U.S. Some students believe these evacuations are quite unnecessary. Anchorage community

SEE TSUNAMI PAGE 02

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NEWS | March 22, 2011

University insurance plans to see big changes this July

By Sean Talbot The Northern Light

The University is trimming the fat off of employee health care benefits.

Currently, University of Alaska employees aren’t required to provide documentation for their claimed dependents to receive medical benefits. As of July 1, they’ll have to break out the birth certificates to prove that their kids are their kids.

Under the new documentation plan, ConSova, a Colorado-based auditing company, claims that UAA stands to save between $500,000 and $1 million this year by weeding out ineligible dependents.

But that’s not all: Beth Behner, Chief Human Resources Officer for the University of Alaska, announced in a recent memo that deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses will double, triple, and in some cases, quadruple from their current prices.

Employees who make the least will see the greatest changes in their premiums, whereas the highest-paid employees will see the least. UA Benefits Director Mike Humphrey said the cuts represent what is industry standard for insurance.

“Look at auto, or long-term life insurance. The rates aren’t based on income,” Humphrey said.

But the rate chart says otherwise: Pay cuts and deductibles rise with income, regardless of spouses or dependents.

Faculty Senate Vice President, Prof.

Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya, says that the new health care plan has not been well received amongst faculty. He wants to see

where the new figures are coming from.

“I explicitly asked to see the consultant’s report,” he said, speaking of the data that would numerically justify the soon-to-be skyrocketing rates. When he received no reply, he went out and found the numbers himself.

Looking at the national Gross Domestic Product data, Prof. Bhattacharyya found the average increase in rates to be about six percent nationwide. On the new UA plan, they’re 10 percent. When he asked again where these figures came from, he still received no answer.

“Until I see the data underlining that estimation, it is just an unsupported opinion,” he said of the figures that employees will be paying out for health care.

Of course, if an employee forgoes the UA health plan, they don’t pay anything extra.

The current health care budget is $65 million, and is expected to rise quickly over the next few years.

In her memo, Behner says that the major increases will help stabilize rates. If the changes were more modest, another increase would have to take effect as soon as 2013.

There are also a few fineprint changes being made that require some extra attention – the consequence for employees paying even more cash out of pocket.

Non-smokers beware: everyone enrolled in the benefit plan is assumed to be a smoker - and

therefore subject to an automatic $50 per month surcharge - unless they sign a form stating they are not tobacco users. Smokers must be tobacco-free for one year before that fifty-buck-a-month charge goes away.

Mike Humphrey, UA’s Benefit Director in Fairbanks, says that the tobacco clause is still in flux, but if it goes into effect, employees will be notified via e-mail. He added that he will be out personally telling employees about it.

Another kicker of the new plan is that it would double copays for filling

retail prescriptions, if members don’t use mail order for refills on maintenance medications.

Behner believes higher costs will make people rethink their definition of ‘convenient.’

The new health care plan for UA employees goes into effect on July 1, 2011, which is the same day that new federal laws will allow parents to add children up to age 26 on their insurance plans.

CONTINUED FROM COVER

member Toncey Jackson is currently studying at Temple University in Tokyo. She said the following when asked via e-mail how she felt about the situation in Japan.

“I’m irritated, I feel helpless, I’m mad at my school for not helping us and leaving us twisting in the wind when the earthquake hit, people are overreacting about the radiation, people in Tokyo need to stop panic-buying, I want to finish my classes for the semester, I want to be able to use the trains and vending machines in Tokyo normally, Alaska will not die from radiation coming from Fukushima, a power plant cannot explode the same as a bomb, I wish my mother would calm down. I’m not leaving unless I have NO choice because I worked too hard and sacrificed too much to get here. My boyfriend has been calm and taking care of me and translating the news, I miss my friends, I’m worried about my friends and friends’ families in the Tohoku region.

The list goes on and on.”

A day after this conversation on March 17, Temple University decided to evacuate all Americans from its Tokyo campus. Jackson is one of 70 students out of a total enrollment of 200 that chose to remain on campus until Temple University’s decision.

Many businesses have been quick to financially assist Japan. On Mar. 18, Forever 21 donated 100 percent of online sales to the Red Cross. Starbucks donated 1.2 million to the Japan Red Cross and to the American Red Cross. Apple made a “Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Donate Here” button.

Susan Seymour, an Administrative Assistant at Student Health and Counseling Center, said that several UAA students have benefitted from a GCI deal: from March 15 to April 10th, GCI customers can call Japan for free.

This followed about a day after other major phone companies also offered the service. Until March 31st, AT&T and T-Mobile will offer free service to Japan. Verizon and Sprint through April 10.

At UAA, there are several fundraising efforts underway. The International Student Association (ISA) is planning several fundraisers for Japan. ISA most recently encouraged UAA students to see “Inlaws & Outlaws,” an awardwinning documentary by Seattle based filmmaker Drew Emery.

50 percent of all DVD sales went to ISA’s

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fundraising efforts.

The screening—an idea of Alaska Airlines— took place at Rasmuson Hall, and detailed the story of various gay, lesbian, and straight couples. The film considered the overtone of a political landscape that does not recognize certain relationships, but focused mostly on the love common to each relationship, and how that love could preserve through difficult times.

DID WE MAKE A MISTAKE? EMAIL CONTENT@THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

TSUNAMI: Anchorage community comes together to raise funds for disaster relief

GRAPHIC BY COREY BEAUDRIE

March 22, 2011 |NEWS

UNICEF Tap Project proceeds provide clean drinking water

By Alden Lee

The Northern Light

It turns out that a lot of good can come from paying $1 for a glass of water.

By going to select restaurants on World Water Day, Tuesday, March 22, students can help support the UNICEF Tap Project.

By paying $1 for their tap water, students will be donating to UNICEF’s worldwide water and sanitation programs, providing a child in Central Africa or Vietnam with clean drinking water for up to 40 days.

This World Water Day is part of the World Water Week that UNICEF runs each year, helping clean water and sanitation programs to benefit millions of children around the globe. Since its start in 2007, the Tap Project has raised nearly $2.5 million in the United States alone, and is continually expanding.

This year, the UNICEF Tap Project Funds will go specifically to Togo, the Central African Republic, and Vietnam. Children there will be given relief from the waterborne illnesses and other preventable diseases that fester in their non-sanitized water sources.

The Midnight Sun Brewing Company and Organic Oasis restaurants are both participating in this event, donating the funds raised from their $1 glasses of water directly to UNICEF. Midnight Sun is running its event from March 20-26, (all of Water Week), and Organic Oasis will be involved from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on March 22. In addition, the Bear Tooth will be providing a monetary contribution to the Tap Project.

Shannon Donovan, Professor of Environmental Studies at UAA, helped to guide her students in bringing the UNICEF Tap Project to Anchorage. According to Donovan, the students recruited restaurants to participate in the event, and developed educational materials to spread awareness.

“Alaska has never really had a Tap Project up here, and we felt Anchorage needed to participate in this event,” she said. “It’s our opportunity to bring this to the city, and let people come out and give their support.”

“We’ll be sending this money to UNICEF, and the students will be doing NPR pieces afterward to explain how we’ve contributed.”

Environmental Studies students Sharity Sommer and Enke Gene have helped spread awareness of the UNICEF Tap Project by creating a Facebook page, as well as many other advertisements of the event.

For more information, and to learn how to become involved in the project, students and others can visit UNICEF’s website at www.tapproject.org.

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STATEWIDE BRIEFS

Skier missing after avalanche at Hatcher Pass Authorities say a skier is missing following an avalanche at Hatcher Pass.

State trooper spokesman Richard Chambers says the snow slide hit two skiers Saturday afternoon. One suffered a broken leg and the other was apparently buried.

Troopers, the Palmer Fire Department and emergency services crews rushed to the scene. Officials say rescue efforts were hampered because the area of the avalanche is too steep for a helicopter to land.

Chambers told the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman late Saturday that rescue efforts would resume in the morning.

The names of the missing and injured skiers were not released.

Unions, municipalities compromise on wages Lawmakers forwarded a measure out of the Labor and Commerce Committee Friday to raise the prevailing wage limit for public construction contracts.

Representatives of unions and municipalities wrangled for weeks over the measure, which raises the minimum for a contract to apply for the prevailing wage to $25,000.

Current law requires any firm carrying out a public construction contract of $2,000 or more to pay their workers the prevailing wage.

Committee Chair Kurt Olson says the move was a compromise measure that all parties had agreed on.

The original proposal called for the limit to be raise to $75,000 and

excluded maintenance work from public contracts.

Alaska Municipal League executive director Kathie Wasserman says most public construction contracts exceed the current limit and the measure would save municipalities money.

Retailers fear lost profits from cannabinoid ban Retailers and drug policy advocates say that a proposed ban on synthetic cannabinoids will be costly, but unlikely to keep the substances permanently off the shelf.

Legislation passed in the Alaska House last February would ban ten of the chemicals used to manufacture the substances, which are intended to give a high like marijuana.

Executive director of the Retail Compliance Association Dan Francis says in all states where synthetic cannabinoids have been banned, manufacturers have worked around the legislation by using different chemicals to make the drugs.

Business owner Steve Stuber says he had to sell of all his cannabinoid products at cost when the Drug Enforcement Administration gave notice of a federal ban in December.

Stuber says he now stocks substances compliant with the federal ban.

Federal grand jury indicts 2 on firearms charges Two rural Alaska men have been indicted by a federal grand jury on firearms counts, including a man facing first-degree murder charges in state court.

U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler (LEFF’-ler) says the grand jury indicted 51-year-old Freddie Abraham of

Bethel.

Abraham was arrested for the shooting death Dec. 30 of 31-year-old Walter Ayagalria.

Bethel police said the victim was reported to have struck a woman at Abraham’s home. Abraham, a convicted felon, is accused of loading a rifle and shooting Ayagalria once in the chest.

He remains in custody awaiting trial.

Loeffler says 23-year-old Jimmy Lee Coffin of Noorvik also is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition during an August incident in the northwest Alaska village.

US submarines conduct exercise north of Alaska Alaska’s lieutenant governor greeted a Navy submarine Friday at a temporary ice station set up 160 miles north of Prudhoe Bay. Mead Treadwell met the crew of the USS Connecticut, a nuclear powered Seawolf-class attack submarine.

The submarine is participating in exercises.

The Connecticut made a two-week trip north from its base in Bremerton, Wash., and surfaced Friday through 26-inch ice.

A Virginia-class submarine, the USS New Hampshire, surfaced Tuesday after a two-week trip from Groton, Conn.

The ice station, with plywood construction and staff of 25, is set up to conduct submarine technical and tactical testing. It will operate into April.

It was established this month for the Navy’s Arctic Submarine Laboratory by the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Lab. –Compiled by Matthew Caprioli

Spring cleaning time for us = great deal time for you! used computers, desks, file cabinets, bookcases, office equipment & electronics

UAA Surplus Sale Thursday, March 24th, 2011 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

10 a.m.–Noon • UAA Students, Faculty & Staff Noon–2 p.m. • General Public

UAA Surplus Warehouse—4111 Ingra Street—south of University Ctr.

Questions? Please call 907.786.1108 or email surplus@uaa.alaska.edu.

Cash, credit card, or checks with valid ID accepted as payment.

All sales are final.

GRAPHIC BY COREY BEAUDRIE

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NEWS| March 22, 2011

SAY WHAT?

Pennsylvania dad denies playing ninja when leaving son, 4, alone SCOTTDALE, Pa. (AP) -- A western Pennsylvania man denies he was outside running around pretending to be a ninja, but acknowledges he did leave his 4-year-old son home alone sleeping while he went jogging earlier this month.

Twenty-eight-year-old Ross Hurst remains in the Westmoreland County Prison after his preliminary hearing on a child endangerment charge was postponed Wednesday. Outside the courtroom, Hurst told reporters that he wasn’t pretending to be a ninja when Scottdale police charged him March 3 at about 1:30 a.m.

Hurst says he simply “went for a jog” - but acknowledges he shouldn’t have left his son alone.

But police insist Hurst was dressed all in black and “playing ninja” when they confronted him. They say Hurst claimed his mother was babysitting, but she told police she wasn’t.

Squirrel attacking residents of Vermont neighborhood

JOIN THE CROWD! UAA students would prefer not to have drugs at parties they attend

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) -- A Vermont neighborhood is being stalked by a renegade gray squirrel.

Several people in Bennington say they’ve been attacked by a squirrel over the last few weeks.

Kevin McDonald tells the Bennington Banner he was shoveling snow when the squirrel jumped onto him. He says he threw the animal off, but it twice jumped back onto him. A game warden says there have been other reports, too.

One woman is being treated for exposure to rabies, but Vermont Public Health Veterinarian Robert Johnson says there’s never been a case of a squirrel passing rabies to a human.

Johnson says it’s possible the squirrel was raised as a pet and lost its fear of humans. He says the squirrel might “go ballistic” when it encounters people it doesn’t recognize.

Emu eggs being stolen from Mobile, Alabama, zoo MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- The Mobile Zoo in Alabama is trying to put a stop to the theft of emu eggs.

Curator Lacey Clark says at least two or three of the big, emerald-green eggs have recently been taken, apparently by people coming over the fence into an area where the giant birds are incubating their future offspring in ground nests.

Clark says there are suspicions that the thieves enter the zoo as visitors and steal the eggs during regular hours.

Clark says the zoo has two adult female and two adult male emus, and that each spring the females lay up to 12 eggs in hollowed-out indentations in the ground.

She says the eggs take about 50 days to hatch and require constant attention to maintain correct temperatures.

Some Kazakh motorists trumpet their love of sex

Data drawn from the 2010 Core Alcohol & Drug Survey of a representative cross-section of UAA students, with 457 respondents.

Message brought to you by UAA Alcohol, Drug & Wellness Educator Lexi Prunella: anafp@uaa.alaska.edu / (907) 786-1214

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) -- Traffic police in a southern Kazakhstan city have complained of a rising tide of motorists replacing their license plates with signs reading “I Love Sex.” Online news channel Mir reported Friday that one of them, a 19-year old motorist in Kyzyl-Orda, was fined $1,000 for pinning the provocative plate to his SUV. The station also showed police footage of another car bearing a more chaste plate honoring a woman: “I Love Aizat.”

Former Soviet Kazakhstan is a largely Muslim nation, but social mores and attitudes toward sex tend to be somewhat relaxed, especially in cities.

One youth group, however, has led campaigns to weed out locally produced porn films and has called for a ban on Valentine’s Day.

Ohio man robs bank, is caught on city bus

Free for All.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- Police in Ohio say a man robbed a bank and then tried to flee on board a public bus, where officers eventually caught up with him.

Dayton police Sgt. Moe Perez tells the Dayton Daily News the suspect got away with cash from a downtown KeyBank branch at around 10 a.m.

Wednesday. Police were told by witnesses that they saw the man catch a bus about two blocks away.

Officers followed the route of the bus and pulled it over less than a mile away, near the campus of Sinclair Community College. Perez says the suspect was arrested without incident and the money was recovered. Police haven’t said how much was stolen.

Step right up if you like free!

All UAA students, faculty, and staff ride People Mover for free simply by showing their current semester ID.

Police easily spot holdup suspect in unique outfit TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Police in Topeka, Kan., say one holdup suspect’s unique outfit made it easy enough to find her - because she showed up hours later wearing the same clothes to watch the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Radio station WIBW-AM reports the 26-year-old woman was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after an officer spotted her watching the parade along a downtown street.

Authorities believe she entered a convenience store around 3:30 that morning holding a screwdriver and demanding money from a clerk.

Surveillance tape showed her leaving the store in a bright blue warm-up suit with a broad yellow stripe - the same attire the officer noticed along the parade route hours later.

Ride to and from school, or work, or anywhere along our 14 routes and more than a thousand stops, absolutely FREE! And free means free—all routes, all times, every day.

www.peoplemover.org 343-6543 –Compiled by Matthew Caprioli

Just flash your current school ID and get on board!

FEATURES

05

Surplus division: big impact, little recognition

By Kate Lindsley The Northern Light

After the Virginia Tech tragedy in 2007, UAA took safety measures to replace all windowless doors.

What many students may not have noticed was the vast amount of background planning to ensure that the transition went smoothly.

Responsible for changeovers such as this is the Surplus division of UAA. Working in conjunction with all of the departments, Surplus will pick up any equipment that is no longer needed, from furniture to computers to printers, and store them in the warehouse next to the University Center.

When a department needs items moved to the warehouse, they make a call, and presto, it’s delivered the next day. Surplus is one of the most smoothly run programs at UAA, working by recycling materials throughout the University.

Bob McDonnell, supervisor of General Support Services, has signed off on both generous and ingenious transactions. With the help of the University Facilities woodshop, the doors without windows were transformed into the countertops of the Seawolf Postal Express in the basement of the bookstore.

“This is one of my favorite stories. We were able to take the doors that had to be replaced and

GRAPHIC BY COREY BEAUDRIE

use them in the university again.

The old countertops were dingy; they needed to be replaced,” McDonnell said.

In addition, McDonnell has signed off on four separate donation efforts on behalf of Surplus. Working with the Department of Corrections, Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, New Life Development Inc. and the Boys and Girls Club, UAA has made their trash into someone else’s treasure.

William Cruz, head of Surplus, noted the great heaps of trash donated to dumpsters by UAA students at the end of every spring semester.

“They just don’t want to bring (the appliances) back home with them. I see eight or nine microwaves piling up in the dumpsters each day at the end of the spring semester,” Cruz said.

Cruz’s advice?

Donate unwanted furniture and appliances to surplus. From the Surplus warehouse, the desks, beanbag chairs, bookcases, mini-fridges or microwaves can be donated or sold.

Surplus recently donated eight computers to The Department of Corrections Pretrial Facility for their education program.

New Life Development Inc., a program aimed at rehabilitating

previously incarcerated citizens through education, received four computers for technology training.

Joyce Oswald, education coordinator for Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, calls the trip to the warehouse “the prison shopping trip”. UAA Donated eight computer tables and six chairs, benefitting both UAA and Hiland Mountain Correctional Center. The University was able to clear unwanted surplus from their crowded warehouse, and Hiland didn’t have to buy new furniture.

Every few months, surplus holds a sale to further clear the warehouse for incoming stock.

The first sale of 2011 falls on March 24th and is open to anyone with a valid Wolf Card from 10 a.m. to noon and then the general public from noon to 2 p.m.

The sale includes fully loaded desktop computer setups for $50-$100, computers without an operating system for $25, as well as computers that are given away for free that could be used for parts They also sell printers, furniture, desks, chairs and even a grinder.

One year they sold a pizza oven that had been given to surplus by the food services division of UAA.

GURU KATE

Addiction analysis on hand sanitizer and Chapstick

By Kate Lindsley The Northern Light

What is the connection between bacteria, hand sanitizer and antibiotics?

Dear bacteria baffled, Hand sanitizer, which is typically alcohol based, works by denaturing bacterial cells and making hands an inhospitable environment for viruses.

On the flipside, antibiotics are actually a bit less surefire than hand sanitizer. There’s a good chance you’ve already got antibiotic resistant bacteria all over your body, especially if you’ve traveled to a third world country where you’ve been prescribed a general antibiotic to take.

I’m glad this question was brought up because I’ve wanted to step onto the soapbox about antibiotics for a while. The general public may know about antibiotic resistances, but not necessarily the source of a resistance.

It works like this (if you believe in evolution): there’s a whole world of bacteria naturally found in your body. They’re generally good guys, helping you digest stuff you couldn’t normally digest and keeping everything moving like it should.

Then the big guns come in: the antibiotics. They kill everything.

What survives? The bacteria that have beneficial mutations survive the antibiotic attack. These are the only bacteria that go on to fight future battles.

Break it down now: avoid going on a germ-killing spree either with antibiotics. Sure, be safe when you know you’re sick or you’re around sick people, but don’t get totally crazy about it. Try the alcohol based hand sanitizer.

Otherwise you could end up a breeding ground for giant man eating bacteria and be the next source of the War of the Worlds. Ok maybe not that drastic, but hopefully you get the point.

Why is Chapstick so gosh darn addicting?

Dear slippery lips, Regarless of some fancy-shmancy chemical or biological explanation, it has to do with habits formed by your mind. If you think that you’re addicted to Chapstick, you likely will be addicted to chapstick.

If you can’t stop thinking about how you forgot the

handy dandy Burt’s Bees at home, and that in itself is making you lick your lips, it’s all in your head. If you licked your lips while reading this and have rampantly asked everyone around you if they have any Chapstick, you’re probably addicted.

Just calm down.

It’ll be ok.

Just kidding, it’s not that serious of an addiction. Just stop

thinking about your lips. Stop it right now.

Better?

Ok maybe not, especially if you use carmex or blistex, or any other giant brand that is cheap.

They typically contain salicylic acid or menthol, which can cause exfoliation and peeling. It’s a vicious cycle. Try switching to a “protectant”, which contain some type of animal or plant based fat.

These work by fatty acids property of hydrophobicity (here’s the chemical explanation) which means they hate water. Repelling water to hydrate your lips? Not as bass-ackwards as it sounds.

It really traps the hydration your lips (naturally) to make them smoother, without the peeling and constant dryness.

Seawolves’ weekly enrichment calendar 3.22-3.28.2011 Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

March 22

March 23

March 24

March 25

Bakery Sales 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Lucy Cuddy Hall (continue Wednesday and Thursday)

Open Mic 6:00-7:00 p.m.

The Den, Student Union

Debate: Westboro Baptist Church’s Message 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Fine Arts 150

Buddy Wakefield: Spoken Word Poetry 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Fine Arts 150

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

March 26

March 27

March 28

The Annual Alaska PreMed Summit 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

RH Lobby

GO OUTSIDE It’s springtime!

Michelle Scaman: Dream Sharing and the Social Construction of Reality 5:00-7:00 p.m.

UAA Bookstore

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FEATURES| March 22, 2011

Latrine Dean

Consortium Library Second Floor

PARKING: Call team officer speaks out CONTINUED FROM COVER

By John Budnik The Northern Light

The Consortium Library: a haven of silence and one of my favorite places to be on campus. After walking out of the Starbucks adjacent to the Consortium with a latte in one hand and a Danish in the other, is there anything finer than finding your favorite reading nook and cracking open a text of Plato and his dialogues? Well, maybe spring break on a Florida beach, but only maybe.

The Consortium Library’s second-floor restrooms, behind the elevators immediately to your right from the spiral staircase, may also not be spring break in Florida, but they are a fine find as well.

The second-floor restrooms are aesthetically reminiscent of the ISB restrooms. The two have a similar lighting structure, with this restroom’s light fixtures gently tucked away above the ceiling and facing the wall.

This creates a fountain-like effect, distributing light across the room. It is soft, but bright enough to be able to determine the condition.

During my tour, there was something about the transparentgreen brick tiles that made me feel creative as I meditated for a minute and a half. Needless to say, they were wonderful.

The silver stalls give the restroom a bit of a metropolitan feel. They make you feel cool for spending your Saturday afternoon doing your English homework at the library, when you could easily be at the movies with your friends.

A real attention grabber is the white lines tiled into the floor.

For the men’s restroom they served as a gentle reminder of

how far away to stand from the stall if occupied. According to Correspondent Kellie, for the ladies’ room, they “guided the flow of traffic around the stalls.”

This bathroom is also enriched by its excellent countertops, sinks and mirrors, and its aesthetic quality easily bags five stars.

The library is typically a busy place mid-day during the week, but even so, privacy was not an issue. The quiet hush that sits over the library exists in the restroom too. Foot traffic was very minimal, which was surprising considering what a popular place the library is on campus.

The aspect of this restroom that really sealed the ultimate pinnacle of privacy was the angled wall in the men’s room.

When you walk through the door of the men’s room you are confronted with a 120 degree pivot immediately to your right to face the urinals. The room becomes smaller as you approach the farthest urinal, which at this point is almost in a corner.

This wall is so central in securing the most amount of privacy, because when using the urinals you are guaranteed not to be bothered by any traffic flow from your right or from immediately behind you. This lends to a pleasant and private experience for the library patron.

Privacy earns a solid five stars.

Plain and simple was the toilet paper for this restroom, just like the other bathrooms to the east.

There is not much to say about it, and at this point doubt grows even stronger for the restrooms to come of if there will ever be anything to rant and rave about concerning the toilet paper here on campus. Toilet Paper earns three stars.

“It was very reflective of the grandeur of the Consortium Library,” reported Correspondent Kellie. “It was a reminder that we are in a university.”

Correspondent Kellie enjoyed the green appeal and the good texture of tiling in the restroom.

However, a well-placed full length mirror would have enamored Kellie further with its fashion. With plenty of wall space in the restroom, it’s a must.

Privacy in these restrooms was also a nonissue for Kellie.

The large stainless steel lock on the stall door, coupled with how little the restroom is visited, gave her a very private feeling.

The ladies’ room toilet paper was just like the mens’ with nothing special. The toilet paper dispenser did catch the attention of Correspondent Kellie, however.

“It was a very obliging TP dispenser. It didn’t welcome my ‘come hither advances’ but it wasn’t disgruntled either.” She reported.

If after a long day of classes and you find yourself heading to the library to grind out solid study time there is no need to fret if a certain call should present itself to you. You’ll be accommodated aesthetically and with privacy, and I guarantee that you will not lose concentration from your studies.

Now should the Consortium Library throw a couple of magazine racks in there with Newsweek Magazines destined for the recycling bin anyway, I wouldn’t complain. But with how high this restroom scored, to ask them to do so would just be greedy.

Consortium Library second floor bathroom. The bathroom’s main asset was the privacy of its urinals.

Consortium Library Second Floor

★ ★★ ★★

that come with parking on campus.

He says that the Parking Services team works to make the rules and regulations concerning parking as clear as possible, and that their main goal is to work with the students, not against them.

“Of course people don’t like getting a ticket,” he said. “And when they get one, it’s only natural for them to be upset and think we’re the ones who did something wrong. In reality it’s them who have violated a parking regulation, and we’re there to correct them. There are signs all over campus that say where to park and where not to park, so it’s not like we’re setting them up to fail or anything.”

Schmidt also places great importance on the Call Team’s other responsibilities beyond ticketing people, namely their function as assistance to those who need it.

Beyond just enforcing University Parking Regulations, the student employees that make up the Call Team also provide jumpstarts, unlock vehicles, give safety escorts, and locate students in emergency situations.

“We’re kind of like a presence out in the parking lots, so if something is to happen, we’re there to help out.”

When asked what frustrated him the most about his job, Schmidt had an immediate response. He addressed the entire student body with his statement.

“Please, if you have an expired Pay-n-Park permit, do not try to get away with it by covering up the date. That’s not clever at all. If we see a permit with the date or time intentionally covered up, of course we know what’s going on and are going to fine you. I deal with that all the time, and it bugs the hell

‘If they’re coming out yelling and cursing at us and calling us Parking Nazis, of course we’re going to ticket them. It’s common sense.’

–Philip Schmidt Call Team Officer UAA Freshman out of me. We’re not stupid; it’s a pretty obvious situation.”

Given the multiple experiences already gained from his parking services job, Schmidt has found his role as a CTO to be rather enjoyable.

“The group of students I work with are a fun bunch,” he said.

“Apart from the belligerent people, I really have no complaints other than the fact that I wish it could be a lot warmer out when I’m working.”

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OPINION

10

The battle for union rights Before tragedy finds in Wisconsin continues you, seize the day EDITORIAL

By Eli Johnson

In the wake of a tragedy, people sometimes stop to reflect on their lives and think about the things that they could have done or could do differently. That period of reflection often lasts anywhere from the length of a commercial break to as long as it takes to attend a funeral.

That isn’t to say people are uncompassionate or self-centered.

What it does say is that our busy lives slowly creep back in, until we are so distracted by the little things that we’ve forgotten the reflections we had in our temporarily vulnerable state.

For Americans, those moments of reflection often prompt charity.

Americans donated millions of dollars via text message in the first day after Red Cross announced its relief campaign for Haiti. Within four days, the total donations from the American public and our nation’s corporations were $23 million. Today, Americans are finding themselves again reaching across the world to offer aid to Japan and countries in the Middle East.

And when the tragedy is in our own community, similar charity results.

Last year, when a plane crash killed all four crewmembers aboard a C-17, the community both off and on Elmendorf Air Force Base came together to help the families by donating time, money and food, as well as other things. Many stopped by the vigil at the air show to reflect on what happened, and to pay their respects.

But before long it’s back to the grind, and long forgotten is the reason why we cared so much in the first place.

Of course, there are times that tragedy hits much closer to home and it

seems impossible to move on. Finding a way to move on from a tragedy, while still retaining the lessons that it has taught is among the most difficult challenges we face as humans. Each tragedy certainly has something to teach us, but perhaps the single biggest lesson we can learn is to seize the day that we have before us.

Carpe Diem is Latin phrase meaning literally “seize the day,” and though it has permeated our popular culture, it often fails to do so in our daily living.

The phrase was first used by the Roman poet Horace, who encouraged those of his time by writing: “Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one… seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.”

Since we can never predict when we might be the victims of tragedy ourselves, we should heed the words of Horace and make the best use of our time as we have it.

And to avoid the melancholy that could potentially catch us in old age, we must avoid the lethargy that threatens to catch us today. Hopefully, when we are old and grey, we will have lived lives that can be looked back upon with pride and contentment.

Do something worth remembering each day. Maintain the relationships you have with your loved ones - call the relative you’ve been meaning to, but just haven’t had the time to, sooner rather than later. Volunteer at the charity that appeals to you at your most basic human level.

Do it. Be it. Live it. There is no time to waste. We only get one ride folks.

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The Northern Light

Right now, at this very moment, there are groups of people in the state of Wisconsin who are in an uproar.

They are angry about the actions of their government. Their actions could not only decide the fate of their bargaining rights, but the existence of their unions entirely.

There has been a lot of criticism leveled at the people of Wisconsin who are protesting.

Critics of the protestors however, and unfortunately most of the news media as well, seem to have missed many important issues about this unfolding drama.

It all began a few weeks ago, when Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin introduced his budget for the next fiscal year.

It is no mystery that Wisconsin is having budget problems, and while the Governor should have been focusing on actually repairing the budget, he chose instead to take up a fight against union rights that had no effect on the budget at all.

For the current fiscal year, Wisconsin is facing a budget shortfall of $137 million, and a projected $3.6 billion in the coming two-year budget. The state also has a total debt of over $17 billion. This is a serious problem.

Walker proposed what is known as the Budget Repair Bill. In it’s final form, it stipulated that state employees would have to contribute 50% of their annual pension payment to the Wisconsin Retirement System, and to pay at least 12.6% of their annual premiums for health insurance.

It also effectively eliminated the ability for public sector unions to collectively bargain with the state on employee compensation.

Of course, none of this was a problem, except for the stripping away of collective bargaining rights for unions.

The unions, well aware of the current budget shortfalls, were openly willing to concede on everything the government asked for in their bill, regarding the cuts.

However, when the stripping of their bargaining rights came into play, they mobilized into action.

The protests across the state were massive.

In the capitol, every single day, people were there by the tens of thousands, making sure their voices were heard. Every union got involved, since this affects them all.

But after all the extensive media coverage, one key fact seemed to be missing- how did this affect the budget?

It took two weeks after this started for the Associated Press to come out with their findings about how the stripping of their bargaining rights didn’t remotely affect the budget. The regular media was just as slow.

As the findings predictably showed, since the unions were completely willing to give the concessions in the bill, there was really no reason to strip away their bargaining rights.

All that it did was make it harder for the unions to have a say in what happens with their wages, benefits, and even their ability to maintain certification as a union.

The reaction across the country from some conservative elements of the country to the protests was almost as cruel as it was uninformed. Lee Doren, a mouthpiece for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and creator of the YouTube channel HowTheWorldWorks, released a series of videos chastising the protestors.

“So these unions claim they want democracy? They don’t care about democracy.

They don’t care about the kids, either. The only thing they care about is lining their own paychecks,” he said in his video Thug Unions and Thug Aardvarks. The irony of that statement is overwhelming.

The right-wing media’s reaction to the

protests in Wisconsin is actually kind of fascinating. Michael Goodwin, a columnist with The New York Post was on Fox News on February 27, talking about this.

He said that the protestors “are nothing but thugs and bullies.”

The sentiment has been carried all over the conservative media.

Stephen Crowder, a conservative “comedian” posted a video called UNION SUPERPOWER! Featuring “Wisconsin Vern,” which had a union character named Vern who threatens you at gunpoint if you don’t pay your dues.

The unions, well aware of the current budget shortfalls, were openly willing to concede on everything... regarding the cuts.

All over the American zeitgeist, there is endless talk about how these people are thugs and how it is perfectly fine to take away their rights.

It’s apparently perfectly fine to demand more and more money from teachers, firefighters, police officers, road workers, basically anybody on a government salary, but when people talk about raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires, that is just plain wrong.

What is really wrong is what happened during the course of this debacle.

Even after the Democratic senators fled the state, Governor Walker decided to force the passing of this bill anyway.

Even though they didn’t have quorum, he passed the bill illegally.

The night that this happened, the people of Wisconsin were at the capitol building, banging desperately on the doors and windows, trying to make themselves heard. They were being locked out and held back by the cops.

“Let us in! Let us in!” was a chant that was blaring through Madison that night, but alas, their voices went unnoticed, and the legislation passed anyway.

Let it not be forgotten that this bill passed illegally. Without a quorum, the Wisconsin senate could not vote on this issue.

It is a given that this will be challenged in the Supreme Court and defeated. But the backlash from this has been incredible.

This has been an interesting saga to watch, and it still is. A lot of things have come to light during the course of this debate. The level of corruption in the Wisconsin government is a rather interesting part of it.

There was a prank phone call to Walker from a man masquerading as one of the Koch brothers. It showed undeniable proof that Walker was doing his own game, and his stated reasons don’t really matter. “…I said this is about the budget, this is about public-sector unions,” Walker said on the phone during the prank call.

But what really matters is that this sentiment, that unions are a problem and need to be gotten rid of, is spreading all throughout this country.

Similar struggels are currently being born in Ohio and Indiana, and even here in Alaska, with HB 134, which does essentially the same thing as the bill in Wisconsin.

The unions are the best thing that has happened for the public sector. They need to be protected and respected, and they aren’t.

They are being called “thugs” and dismissed and dismissed and dismissed again, but still they keep at it.

The people in Wisconsin are continuing the fight. How many others will take up the call, should it come to that?

March 22, 2011 | OPINION

TNL

11

The Northern Light 3211 Providence Drive Student Union 113 Anchorage, AK 99508 Phone: 907-786-1513 Fax: 907-786-1331 info@thenorthernlight.org

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“In hindsight, we could have moved a little quicker in assessing the situation and coordinating all that information and provided it faster.”

Japan’s nuclear crisis prompts...

Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano

“The administration is committed to learning from Japan’s experience as we work to continue to strengthen America’s nuclear industry.”

Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy

SPORTS EDITOR 786-1512 sports@thenorthernlight.org Taylor Hall PHOTO EDITOR 786-1565 photo@thenorthernlight.org Dan Jackson WEB EDITOR 786-1506 web@thenorthernlight.org Ashley Snyder LAYOUT EDITOR layout@thenorthernlight.org Brittany Bennett

“I told him the truth that I can’t say I’m optimistic, but we are sparing no efforts to correct the situation.”

...leaders around the world to weigh in Where do YOU stand?

Visit thenorthernlight.org and click on Opinion Roundup to vote

Takeaki Matsumoto Japan’s foreign minister

“The accident in Japan could lead to a major rethink in Europe...” “And not before its time. Governments have not been transparent enough about the safety levels of the nuclear power sector.”

Henrik Paulitz of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. “Even though we restricted the supply of salt to 350 grams per person, consumers snapped up everything containing salt, including soy sauce and fermented bean curd.”

Tian Xueliang, manager of a Shouhang Supermarket in Beijing.

“Our Japanese colleagues are gradually, not right away and with mistakes... getting the situation under control.”

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin

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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 5,000. 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.

Islamic violence justifies ‘Islamophobia’

By Daniel McDonald The Northern Light

In the past month the world witnessed two barbaric acts of terrorism in the name of Islam.

Arid Uka shot and murdered two U.S. soldiers and seriously wounded two others at an airport in Frankfurt while shouting the all too familiar “Allahu Akbar.”

Oddly enough, the Obama administration was incapable of labeling this a terrorist act and chose to play its usual politically correct game by tiptoeing around the issue.

The President called it a “tragic incident” which was just another “isolated” case in a list that includes the Fort Hood shooting and failed Times Square and underwear bombings.

Why politicians continue to ignore the truth of Islam and the fact that it remains the one common variable in all these attacks is beyond explanation.

More recently a Jewish family in Israel was massacred. Rabbi Udi Fogel along with his wife Ruth and three of their small children including a 3-month-old baby girl were brutally stabbed by Palestinian terrorists. Thankfully, the terrorists missed three of their other children sleeping in an adjacent room.

Fogel and his family were murdered for no reason other than

the fact that they were Jewish.

This was a heinous crime without excuse. Despite these facts, the response from Palestinians in Gaza was utterly barbarous.

According to Ynetnews, “Gaza residents… hit the streets Saturday to celebrate the terror attack in the West Bank settlement of Itamar… [They] handed out candy and sweets.” One resident was reported as saying the joy “is a natural response to the harm settlers inflict on the Palestinian residents in the West Bank.” Joy over the murder of children is a natural response to settlements in the West Bank?

Enemies or not, there is nothing natural about celebrating the murder of innocent children, unless perhaps if you are a psychopath whose religion is nothing more than an overlyglorified death cult.

In order to extinguish any doubts about the feelings of Palestinians, Hamas Spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri stated, “The report of five murdered Israelis is not enough punishment.” To civilized people, slaughtering children in cold blood is never justifiable, yet to these Islamic thugs Jewish children are considered of no more worth than monkeys or pigs.

It is this characterization that allows them to commit their crimes without the guilt. If Jews

are nothing more than animals then killing them is not a problem.

After 9/11 President Bush went to a mosque and declared that Islam was a “religion of peace” and that these acts were not representative of most Muslims around the world.

It is true that only a very small percentage of Muslims ever actually commit any violence against the West, but many seem to either be neutral or passively approving of acts of aggression.

This lie that Islam is a religion of peace crumbles every time the Arab world hits the streets and celebrates the murder of innocents. Violent Jihadism is not a fringe element of Islam, it is the mainstream.

Al-Jazeera, another one of those mainstream Arab news organizations we are all supposed to love and trust features Yusuf Qaradaw weekly, a man who promotes suicide bombings and attacks against non-believers on his show.

Additionally, we always hear about the masses of moderate Muslims, but where are they?

Where are the outspoken Muslims groups actively seeking to root out their violent brethren?

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is all the time using its resources to combat what it terms “Islamophobia” or “anti-Islamic racism” but rather

than fight the response, why not fight the cause?

Those who mistrust Islam and its adherents do so with reasonable cause. In the U.S., of the 128 terrorists indicted in the last two years, 126 of them were Muslim and the two remaining were working for Al Qaeda.

There is nothing wrong with refusing to respect Islam or any religion for that matter. CAIR and others attempt to frame any attack against Islam as bigotry and even racist, but there is nothing racial about an ideology.

It is as ridiculous as claiming that a rejection of Nazism in the 1930s and 40s were some sort of racist act towards Germans at that time. Islam has no right to demand the respect of nonbelievers merely for the fact that it is a religion; respect and tolerance must be earned and is also a two way street.

Until the streets of Gaza are filled with people condemning the senseless killings of innocent Israelis rather than promoting killers of children as war heroes, there can be no consolation.

As long as Islam remains a sadomasochistic religion of the vicious, peace is impossible. Islam needs to reform itself because the status quo is intolerable.

GIVE US YOUR OPINION AT THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

12

OPINION| March 22, 2011

TNL

March 22, 2011 | OPINION

Web Comments RE: GI Bill cuts Veteran Benefits

By Andrew"Veteran…what are you smoking talking about it not being a cut? It IS a cut…plain and simple. I want you to tell that to the people currently getting their education paid for by the new GI Bill now having to pay thousands of dollars more EACH term. They picked schools based on what the GI Bill was…they aren’t fortune tellers and can’t foresee that they’ll be screwed over. And yes… many have been screwed over by these changes.

Many wouldn’t have chosen the schools they did if they realize it would have

been cut significantly in the future. The tuition/fees cap for private institutions is a disservice since it is taking away a benefit that veterans were expecting and knew would be funded previously."

humiliate ourselves to the whole town of Fairbanks.

Way to go.”

RE: USUAA President heaps praise onto UAF hockey team

By Senator“If you have problems with these sort of things RE: USUAA President heaps then speak your voice praise onto UAF hocket team at the general assembly

By UAA Residentmeetings (every Friday “Well i think the wager at 3). The meetings are that president Brooks made open to everybody. If you without consulting the other would like to speak about members of USUAA is kind your concerns, issues, or of BS. Now we are publicly complaints then go and admiting that our hockey speak your mind, it is your team isn’t as good as right so exercise it, we are UAF. How do you think our all more than willing to do hockey team feels about this what we can to please the Brooks? Now we have to student body.” send a statment to publicly

13

14

TNL

COMICS| February 22, 2011

BROKECOMICS | Alec Fritz

TUNDRA l Chad Carpenter

CRYPTOQUOTE PUZZLE l M. Proskuryakova

ENHVBDXSGNSACKL G GB J E O A OEGUIHRO ASANKGSWBDBHIOS MTVREAOTEXMPCYA MELVORNTOPULAWN R N S A L H R S Z N L E G E G BAAENOCHAVODONE L G A M I T V N S S C A I F L Y N M T V Z A L A B C L S U E S J S A L T L A K E C I T Y S QPORTLANDKWHTAG NOTSUOHAWUWPPYG E S O J N A S P H O E N I X O X O I V Z Z I C S E A T T L E O I N O T N A N A S O F Z O F

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March 22, 2011 | COMICS

TNL

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THE NORTHERN LIGHT’S SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT SECTION

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

UAA bounced out of WCHA postseason

TRACK AND FIELD SPORTS

B2

2011 Season starts at Stanford Invitational

OVERTIME SPORTS

B6

NFL lockout steals focus from more important issues PHOTO BY PATRICK MCCORMICK/TNL

UAA sophomore Tyler Currier goes down for a block on Colorado College’s Ryan Lowery during the Seawolves 4-2 loss to the Tigers. The loss came in the WCHA Final Five and snapped a five-game win streak for the Seawolves. UAA enjoyed their best season since joining the WCHA and won their second ever postseason series to reach the Final Five.

ARTIST Q&A A&E

B9

Gaby Moreno answers questions about life as a songwriter

Aerial Angels help UAA take flight

By Taylor Hall and Patrick McCormick The Northern Light

The wave of momentum that the Seawolves rode into St. Paul, Minnesota and the WCHA Final Five Playoffs came crashing down, and put what was perhaps an unjust end to their 2010-11 campaign.

Unfortunate bounces and misfires were the main culprits in putting an abrupt halt to

The Northern Light

PHOTO BY ASHLEY SNYDER/TNL

SEE AERIAL ANGELS PAGE B7

Anchorage native William Rapuzzi, put the Tigers (22-17-3) on the board first at 7:30 of the first period when he was the beneficiary of a fortunate bounce, something that CC would see more of come their way.

A puck was thrown toward the net, bounced off UAA sophomore Scott Warner’s stick and found its way to a wide open Rapuzzi who was able to deposit the puck behind a sprawled out

SEE HOCKEY PAGE B4

‘Gleeprov II’ successful showcase of talent

By Heather Hamilton

UAA students learn the nuances of the ‘Amazon’ pose from the Aerial Angels.

the UAA hockey season. The Wolves’ lost 4-2 to the 13th ranked Colorado College Tigers in front of 13,131 screaming fans at the Xcel Energy Center.

“It doesn’t sit well and doesn’t feel right,” said UAA Head Coach Dave Shyiak at the post-game press conference. “I can’t take anything away from the guys tonight. I’m proud of the way we played.”

“It just wasn’t in the cards tonight.”

Friday, March 18 at 8 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building, the UAA Glee Club performed in their second duo show with the UAA Improv Troupe, “Gleeprov II.” Each club took the stage for half the show, and did their best to enchant their nearly full audience.

Both groups were utterly successful.

The first half of the show featured the talents of the UAA Improve Troupe. Each member took a turn asking the audience for an “offering,” - an idea - and then told a funny story that the offering reminded them of. Upon the completion of the story, the group would set to work recreating the basic premise of it, using only a set of stools as their props.

The best part of the improv set was the easy give and take of energy between the performers and the crowd. When the audience laughed, the performers became more daring; and on the rare occasion when the audience was more subdued, the performers reeled in their randomness and switched to something else.

Another highlight of the troupe was how in-tune the performers were with one another. In order

to perform improv effectively, a group needs to be very familiar with each other. Otherwise, they can’t determine the best, and most hilarious, route to take after

a particularly funny one liner.

The UAA Improv Troupe had no such difficulties; if they stopped at all, it was to laugh at what one of their fellow performers had

said, which was not as distracting as it was funny in its own right.

The UAA Glee Club took the stage immediately following the

Liz Daniel, Eric Holzschuh and Jordan Carlson arrest Josh Kovach for littering in ‘Gleeprov II.’

SEE GLEEPROV PAGE B10

PHOTO BY HEATHER HAMILTON/TNL

SPORTS

B2

Track and field starts strong out of the gate

By Megan Edge The Northern Light

The University of Alaska Anchorage kicked off the 2011 Track and Field season the first weekend of March, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Invitational.

“It will be fun to see this all come together, we had a very strong cross-country season and a lot of new faces on the team” said Head Coach Michael Friess, who added that despite a small team they still are very strong.

The meet, which began on March 5, was a record breaking weekend for the ‘Wolves despite an emotional training week just the week before, with the loss of teammate William Ritewiang on Feb. 19.

“The loss of William certainly will effect them, but I am confident they will pull through,” Friess said. “It just means we will come together more as a squad.”

The Seawolves broke five school records, earned four separate first place finishes, as well as 18 topfive finishes.

Returning this season, after redshirting in 2010 is senior All-American David Registe, who won his event back by jumping over two feet farther than his nearest competitor. The Palmer native took a leap of 25 feet, 10.75 inches, which automatically qualifies Registe for NCAA Championships, May 26-28 in California.

Also returning from a ‘10 redshirt season is junior Shaun Ward, who according to Friess is a very strong team leader.

Ward, an All-American, won his 400-meter hurdle event with a time of 52.82 and was just shy of the current UAA record, which he holds, of 52.45.

Freshman Haleigh Lloyd, of Ladysmith B.C, gave a good first impression by breaking the 400-meter hurdle UAA record with a time of 1:02.37, a record previously set in 2010 by senior Adrienna Everett.

Lloyd also broke the 2010, 100-meter hurdle time of 14.89 with a time of 14.62.

Lloyd, also contributed by running with both the 4x100-meter relay team and 4x400-meter hurdle.

Another freshman set records for the men’s side as well.

Gabe Holland won the discuss competition with a toss of 155 feet and eight inches.

The discuss record hadn’t been broken since April of ‘07 when Lucas Pedro had a toss of 132 feet and nine inches.

Both women’s relay teams also broke records using their freshman pack, which consists on Lloyd, Susan Bick, and Sasha Halfyard and returning senior and team leader, Everett.

“I think this season we have the potential to have the best women’s team overall ever,” Friess said.

This record breaking season is only to be expected after the Seawolves running season in 2010 after the ‘Wolves broke three GNAC records, set 16 UAA records, and had 14 all-conference finishes, in a program that had only been around six seasons.

The year came to an end with the crowning of four male All-Americans: departed senior Demietrius

Preston, returning senior Marko Cheseto, returning sophomore Micah Chelimo, and returning junior Alfred Kangogo.

Chelimo was named the 2010 GNAC Freshman of the Year.

Kangogo is back for the Track season after redshirting cross-country running in the fall.

“He has been running, and training very well,” Friess said.

For the women, departed senior Elisha Harris, returning sophomore Ruth Keino, departed senior Laura Carr, returning senior Hallidie Wilt, and returning junior Miriam Kipng’eno all took home All-American honors last season.

Junior Kelsey Johnson, of Sitka, has had a powerful kickoff to the season.

Johnson’s shot put toss of 29 feet, 8.25 inches pushed her to victory over her competitors. She also finished second in the 200-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, and high jump.

Following in shop put was freshman Amanda Parker, who finished third.

In Eagle Rock, California on Mar. 11, the ‘Wolves had yet another record-breaking meet. The team was able to qualify five athletes provisionally for NCAA Championships, post six top-five finishes, and set yet another school record.

Freshman Ivy O’Guinn set UAA’s record in the 1500 meters. The Soldotna native finished with a time of 4:33.5, which put her in second for the event.

The record had been set in just May of last year (4:34.34).

O’Guinn, set another school record just days later on Mar. 12 in the 800 meter (2:12.61), which was a time that won her heat.

Keino and Kipng’eno both qualified for the 5000-meter run and went toe to toe in the race with Keino, coming out on top. The teammates finished in 16:59.30 and 17:02.87, respectively.

For the men on Mar. 11, Chelimo and Kangogo both had provisional NCAA marks. Both athletes competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, receiving second and third place honors.

Chelimo is currently the GNAC record holder of the event.

Keino, Kipng’eno, Chelimo and Kangogo join Registe and Johnson who have already either provisionally or automatically qualified for the NCAA’s.

In Northridge, California on Mar. 12, Lloyd beat her own record, in which she set on Mar. 9, with a time of 60.96 in the 400-meter hurdle.

Holland beat his own UAA record as well with a toss of 162-00 in the discus event.

So who will lead the team to a victorious season?

“We have a lot of athletes who lead by example, obviously David (Registe) in his performances, Alfred making a come back from his medical issues in the fall,” Friess said, “Our team isn’t very large but the depth and quality of both talent and character is right there.”

The UAA track and field team will next be in action at the Stanford and San Francisco Invitational meets on Mar. 25-26.

COURTESY OF KELLEY L. COX

Senior Ardrienna Everett claimed her first GNAC title in the 400-meter hurdle in the 2010 track season.

COURTESY OF KELLEY L. COX

Sophomore Ethan Hewitt, of Eagle River, is in his second season with the Seawolves.

Hewitt qualified for NCAA’s at his first meet last season, in the 400 meter.

March 22, 2011 | SPORTS

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Fullerton wins floor title, leads UAA at conference

PHOTOS BY PATRICK MCCORMICK/TNL

Competing in her final routine as a collegiate gymnast, Alaska Anchorage’s Kelsey Fullerton came away with the individual title on floor exercise Mar. 19 night as the Seawolves concluded their 2011 season at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships at Cadet West Gymnasium.

The Seawolves were second after four rotations in the tight, fourway meet, but wound up finishing fourth as a team with 190.475 points. UC Davis defended its title with 192.975 points, followed by host Air Force (192.225), Seattle Pacific (191.250) and UAA. Fullerton, UAA’s team captain, recorded a 9.825 on floor to recapture the title she shared as a true freshman in 2008. With her big performance, Fullerton joined Jessica Portlock and Lauren Agostino as the only Seawolves with multiple individual conference crowns.

The Flower Mound, Texas, native is a junior in eligibility but is moving on from gymnasts after her graduation this May. The Seawolves were strong overall on vault, placing three gymnasts in the top seven, including a runner-up 9.775 score by junior Shakea Sanders. Junior Kaelei Spoor was sixth with a 9.7, while Fullerton was seventh at 9.675.

On bars, senior Maria Puricelli finished her outstanding season on that apparatus with a fourth-place 9.725, and freshman Emily Petersen tied for sixth with a 9.65.

Spoor was UAA’s top performer on balance beam, placing sixth with a 9.725.

Puricelli’s bars score clinched a spot in UAA’s top-3 all-time season averages on that event, while senior Kristy Boswell was the other Seawolf to compete for the final time Saturday.

With no gymnasts likely to qualify individually for the NCAA West Region Championships, the MPSF Championships brought an end to the Seawolves’ 2011 campaign.

Courtesy of UAA Sports Information

Top Left: Maria Puricelli finshed her Seawolf career in fourth place on the bars in her finial competition (9.725). Center Left: The women competed in their only home competition of the season March 11 and 13. The ‘Wolves posted a season high score but lost both days of competition. Bottom Left: Junior Kelsey Fullerton joined teammate Lauren Agostino and former UAA gymnast Jessica Portlock as the only gymnasts with multiple individual title crowns.

Top Center: Junior Kelsey Fullerton recieved the individual floor title at championships March 19.

Above: The UAA gymnastics team ended their last competition with 190.475 points. Defending Champion UC Davis took the title home once again with 192.975 points.

Above: Emily Peterson of Indianapolis, Ind, finished up her first season with the Seawolves in sixth place on the bars (9.65).

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SPORTS| March 22, 2011

HOCKEY: Clock strikes midnight on Seawolves’ magic

PHOTOS BY PATRICK MCCORMICK/TNL

Above: The UAA Seawolves change up the lines during a break in the action from their game against the Colorado College Tigers in the WCHA Final Five from the Xcel Energy Centyer in St. Paul, Minnesota. This marked the second ever appearance for the Seawolves in the WCHA Final Five and first since the 2003-04 season.

Below: Freshman Quinn Sproule (13) and sophomore Alex Gellert (20) celebrate a UAA goal against Colorado College. Sproule and Gellert got credit for assists on the goal by sophomore Mickey Spencer.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 Kamal from the low slot.

UAA (16-18-3), continued to have the better chances to score in the first, but were unable to solve CC goaltender Joe Howe. Senior Tommy Grant, junior Jade Portwood, and sophomore Daniel Naslund all had glorious opportunities that Howe was able to fight off.

The opportunistic Tigers struck again, as Tim Hall fired a wrister from between the circles that beat Kamal high glove-side.

Hall found the puck after UAA junior Brad Gorham blocked a shot from the point from Ryan Lowery.

Despite the good intentions, the puck found it’s way onto Hall’s stick and then into the back of the net.

The 2-0 deficit heading to the locker room didn’t tell the story of the solid first period the team put together.

UAA dominated just about every area on the stat sheet after the first period.

They were winning more faceoffs (10-5), outshooting CC (7-5), and had the more scoring chances (5-2).

Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalize on those chances, and had to see the bad puck luck continue to torment them into the second period.

A seemingly harmless shot from the point by Tiger defenseman Joe Marciano turned into a nightmare for UAA senior Craig Parkinson. The puck floated through traffic and forced Parkinson to try and jump out of the way. The shot ricocheted off his skate during the escape attempt and redirected with deadly accuracy to beat Kamal at 4:39 of the period.

After the goal, Shyiak elected to take his timeout to try and settle his team down. He also elected to pull Kamal in favor of fellow freshman goaltender Rob Gunderson.

Kamal, who couldn’t be put at fault for any of the three goals he allowed, stopped four of seven shots in 24:39 minutes of action.

“We told him to keep his head up,”

Parkinson said, when speaking about Kamal after being pulled. “He’s battled hard for us and he deserved a better fate and deserved us to battle him through it.”

The Seawolves finally got rewarded at 14:57 as sophomore Mickey Spencer got his second goal in as many games for UAA. The gritty fourth-liner turned sniper said it was all about getting back up to game speed.

“I’ve been hurt most of the year and finally had my feet under me and definitely was starting to feel better now,” Spencer said, who had the game winner in the series-clinching win over Minnesota back on Mar. 12.

With a power play just coming to an end for UAA, freshman defenseman Quinn Sproule riffled a shot from the point.

Spencer, who was positioned between the circles, got a textbook deflection to beat Howe on the short side.

Sophomore Alex Gellert would be credited for the second assist, and UAA seemingly was back in it with plenty of time left to work with.

UAA continued to be the better of the two teams at even strength and had a few more good looks at cutting the deficit in half. However, it would be the Tigers who would fine the twine yet again and weather the UAA storm.

CC would pump another one in the waning seconds of the second period.

Marciano blasted home a shot through traffic that beat Gunderson over his right shoulder. The goal came with just 17.7 seconds showing on the clock and crushed any momentum UAA had been building.

The third period went by seemingly fast and once again saw UAA outshoot the Tigers (8-5). The Seawolves also were unable to capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity early in the third.

The goal in which UAA desperately sought finally came, but left the ‘Wolves

very little time to try and rally.

Senior Luka Vidmar would get his second goal of the season at the 18:59 mark of the final period. With sophomore Naslund serving a five-minute major penalty assessed to sophomore Tyler Currier (who also got a game misconduct) for checking from behind, Vidmar wristed a deceptive shot from just inside the blueline that beat Howe.

Gorham and Portwood would get credited with the helpers on the shorthanded strike.

CC would hold on to take the victory and would move onto the WCHA semifinals against top-ranked North Dakota. UAA, the hard luck loser, did everything right except get the bounces, and held the Tigers to just 16 shots on the night compared to the 23 that they had themselves.

With the final horn sounding in St. Paul,

it brought the end to five UAA senior’s careers here in Anchorage.

Parkinson, Vidmar, Sean Wiles, Grant, and Nick Haddad all will have played their final game for the Seawolves, but their contributions have been monumental in Shyiak’s eyes.

“I thought our seniors were incredible this year, and they built the foundation and the blueprint that our program needs to move forward,” Shyiak said.

Parkinson, an assistant captain and leader all year long for his young team, pointed out that the future is very bright for the program.

“It was a great season and there’s a lot of good guys in that locker room,” Parkinson said. “I wish I was coming back. There’s a good group there and I see them coming back (to the Final Five) quite often.”

TNL

March 22, 2011 | SPORTS

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Left: Senior Craig parkinson looks to win the draw against CC’s Nick Dineen at the WCHA Final Five. Parkinson finished his senior year at UAA with career highs in goals (8), assists (13), and points (21).

Above: Pregame festivities before the 2011 WCHA Final Five Championship Game between the North Dakota Fighting Sioux and Denver Pioneers. North dakota would end up winning the game 3-2 in double overtime on a game winner from Matt Frattin.

Frattin, the 2011 WCHA Player of the Year, would also take Final Five MVP honors.

Left: A battle for the puck behind the Denver goal during the UND-CC championship game. This years WCHA Final Five Championship game was played in front of 16,731 fans at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Above: Freshman goalie Rob Gunderson fights off a drive by Tiger defenseman Arthur Bidwell. Gunderson stopped 8 of 9 shots he faced in a relief appearence.

Left: The North Dakota Fighting Sioux salute the crowd after claiming their second straight Broadmoor Trophy, awarded to the to WCHA Playoff Champions.

Above: The UND Hockey cheerleaders perform their routine during a break in the action from the WCHA Final Five.

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SPORTS| March 22, 2011

OVERTIME

Look past NFL lockout and toward Japan’s devastation

By Megan Edge The Northern Light

As the death toll in Japan rises every day, sports fans can focus on one thing and one thing only, the NFL Lockout.

From selfish owners to selfish athletes and all the people in between, sports aficionados seem to be more concerned about the future of American football, rather than the devastating catastrophe currently taking place in Japan.

This isn’t to say that the athletic industry in America is the only industry at fault. In a recent interview broadcasted on MSNBC with Charlie Sheen, a banner ran across the bottom of the screen briefly mentioning Japan.

With all this negligence going on, I would like to mention and recognize the athletes putting their hard earned money and celebrity status to good use.

Kosuke Kimura, from Kobe, Japan, is a defender on the Colorado Rapids, 2010

M.L.S Champions. He started a blog to gain support of people around the world to donate money to the Red Cross, and help

Our efforts, our worries and our fears should be put more on the things that matter. We need to remember that whether it’s football, hockey, soccer, or baseball- it’s just a game in the end.

Japan get back on their feet.

Olympic distance runner Dai Tamesue has kept his eye on the prize and his heart

in the place of the people, raising over $100,000 thus far in his relief efforts.

Yani Tseng, a golfer, is currently making the UNICEF Tap project her choice charity this week. The ten players of the LPGA tour donate $500,000 to a charity of their choice.

Tseng made the UNICEF Tap project her choice because the project will go towards the children of Japan effected by this crisis.

Some of the worlds top skiers such as Julia Mancuso, Ted Ligety and Akira Sasaki have pledged to donate half of there prize money to the people of Japan, and we can’t forget the Winter X-games athletes who participated in a coat drive.

However these efforts go almost completely unrecognized.

OH NO! Tom Brady could lose money in the 2011-12 football season.

OH NO! There might not even be a next season!

My response to this is: Aren’t there important public issues? The NFL is the

most profitable professional league in the nation. Our efforts, our worries and our fears should be put more on the things that matter. We need to remember that whether it’s football, hockey, soccer, or baseball- it’s just a game in the end.

Use that controller that sits on the arm of your recliner, and change the channel off of Sports Center and onto something that matters. Or, if you must be constantly glued to ESPN, remove your eyes from Neil Everett every now and again to catch a glimpse from the passing score banner that has donation information minimally displayed.

Use $10 of the money that pays for your premium sports package to help those in dire need.

Yes, athletes, coaches, owners, fans and everyone else should take their eye off the ball for just long enough to catch a glimpse of the real world.

Its not all trophies, home runs and victories.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

Aerial

The experts who trained the actors of ‘Fallen’ return for an aerial workshop

By Heather Hamilton The Northern Light

When your arms are stuck in the T-rex position, your ankles feel like putty and even your bruises have bruises- the odds are good that you’ve had an unconventional workout.

But if that unconventional workout involves learning how to climb silks and do tricks in a suspended hula-hoop like a circus performer, all the pain you feel the next day will probably be worth bragging to your friends about.

Flight Crew, UAA’s student club of aerialists, provided a free workshop to students on Sunday, March 6 to teach the basics of aerial art.

They even shipped up a few experts from Aerial Angels in Kalamazoo, Mich. to teach the course.

The workshop was set up to give firsttimers a safe environment to learn in, as well as to instruct those who had dabbled in aerial before a chance to learn newer and more difficult

maneuvers.

So while some students were learning to stand in the silks and climb into the hoop, others were learning how to tie their feet in a knot with the silks while several feet above the ground, flip upside down with no hands attached and remain safely suspended in the air.

All students, whether experienced or not, practiced at ground level first, and always under the supervision of Aerial Angels’ artistic director and co-founder Allison Williams and company member M.A. Harrison.

Aerial Angels was founded in 2003 after Williams and a few of her co-performers began practicing aerial in Williams backyard, and came to the conclusions that they wanted to perform it professionally.

The company has grown to 11 members since then.

Flight Crew has similar origins. The club was formed after the production of “Fallen” ran its course at UAA in 2009; “Fallen” was composed primarily of aerial acrobatics taught by the Aerial Angels specifically for the production (which was directed by Williams).

Many of the actors involved in “Fallen” wished to continue to learn and develop their aerial techniques, and thus Flight Crew was born.

“We just wanted to keep doing it, and the only way we could do it on campus was with a club,” said Kelly Brown, the president of Flight Crew and a senior theatre major. “We’ve finally been able to get the university to support the idea that aerial is a safe thing for people to do with the right precautions.”

In order to convince the university to support and allow their club, Flight Crew went as far as to hire an engineer to inspect the Harper Studio Theatre in the Fine Arts Building to identify the safest places for

Angels

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them to rig their equipment.

As a result, it is currently the only place that they are permitted to practice on campus.

What sort of background does a person need to have to learn aerial?

Actors, dancers and the physically fit come to mind, but to think that only those already in great shape can learn to climb up into an apparatus and do tricks is incorrect.

According to Williams, anyone can be taught the basics, depending on how the techniques are taught.

The Aerial Angels employ a method of teaching in which they consciously review each lesson and performance with one another to determine what did and did not work.

This includes phrasing instructions differently as much as it does employing various techniques for accomplishing a desired maneuver -

such as tying a special knot in the silks.

“We’ve gone from the majority of the class being able to do the knot after three tries to the majority of the class being able to do the knot on the first try,” Williams said. “We’ve worked with a wide variety of students; with dancers, non-dancers, actors, non actors, physically fit and not physically fit people- and the only thing that’s changed is that we have learned to teach it better.”

Like any other form of athletics however, the better shape a person is in, and the more flexible, the easier learning and accomplishing aerial is.

Harrison, who has been with the company for four years, originally started out as an intern - and knew next to nothing about aerial.

“I went in for the audition the very first day, and I couldn’t do anything,” Harrison said.

“I was a dancer, so I was sure that this was going to be fun, that I could do it; it looked so pretty, and I failed at everything.

But they must’ve liked me, because they asked me to come back.”

Now she, like the ten other company members, travels around the country in small groups to perform and teach.

It is rare that all 11 members are in one place at the same time, though they do have a main headquarters in Kalamazoo.

“I love it, I love it. I don’t actually have an apartment or a house anywhere; one of the Aerial Angels has a house, and she lets me keep my stuff there,” Harrison said.

The Aerial Angels performed a show in the Harper Studio on Friday, March 11 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Flight Crew showcased their skills as the Aerial Angels’s opening act. For more information about the Aerial Angels, visit their website at www.angelsintheair. com.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY SNYDER/TNL

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A&E| March 22, 2011

3-D Art Invitational - Student Union Gallery March 3-24

“This is Not for You” by Kate Bird

“Magpie” by Erin Hemmer

“Where did the color go?” by Norman Beasley II

“Regression” by Sara Henry

“Family” by Huun Park

“J is for Johnson” by Jen Feagler

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY SNYDER/TNL

B9 Indie songwriter Gaby Moreno to serenade UAA March 22, 2011 | A&E

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By Heather Hamilton The Northern Light

Retaining artistic control in the music industry is often difficult when the artist’s goal is to be successful. Agents and record labels poke, prod and edit the artist’s image and sound until they exemplify what the big-wigs believe will garner the most public attention - and adoration.

The best way for an artist to avoid this fate is to avoid signing on with a label. Unfortunately, in many cases, this route can leave the artist virtually unknown. But not always.

Gaby Moreno is an unsigned, completely independent singer and songwriter, and she’s also successful. She’s toured around the country as well as internationally, and has even seen her music featured on television shows such as ABC’s “Ghost Whisperer” and “Lincoln Heights.”

Student Activities is sponsoring a show featuring Moreno, as well as spoken word artist Buddy Wakefield, on Friday, March 25.

Moreno was kind enough to talk with TNL about herself, her work and the road she took to wind up where she is now.

The Northern Light: Have you ever been to Alaska?

Gaby Moreno: No, I’ve never been there; I’m really looking forward to it.

TNL: Are you going to be in town for a bit and get to hang out, or are you just flying in and then right out after the show?

Moreno: No, I actually have a whole weekend off, so if you have any tips for what to do, I welcome them. I’ve never been there, so I have no idea what to do.

TNL: Tell me about the show that you’re going to be doing with Buddy Wakefield here at UAA. Moreno: Well, I’ve never met Buddy, so I’m looking forward to meeting him, and hearing him.

But as far as my set goes, I’m going to be playing songs from my first record and also some songs from my new record. I sing in English as well as in Spanish, so I’m going to be incorporating some of the Spanish language songs as well as

Moreno: Oh man, since I was little. I’m from Guatemala, so growing up there I was doing it since I was eight or nine years old.

Then I came to Los Angeles to study music, and I stayed here. So, I guess for as long as I remember;

rural. And it’s really beautiful.

TNL: What does your family think of you living here, and living this life of a musical artist?

Moreno: They were always

country?

Moreno: Well, you know, it was step by step. At the beginning I was just going to school and meeting people. Little by little, opportunities started coming along; I started meeting the right people. Of course, I also had some really bad experiences; I was signed to labels and there was just...bad. But then, after a few years passed, I met some really wonderful people who helped me just sort of find my path, where I was going, and the tours and all this sort of came along from that.

From friends who recommended me and friends who knew certain artists or friends who played with certain artists, and they told them about me. It doesn’t happen super fast. In the end though, it’s rewarding.

TNL: How does it feel to have your stuff on national television?

Moreno: Well, it’s amazing, of course. I feel very thankful that they’re using my songs. For me it’s kind of funny because I don’t really watch T.V., so I don’t get to see the songs being played in the T.V. shows; I just hear about it.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GABY MORENO

Singer/songwriter Gaby Moreno will be performing with spoken artist Buddy Wakefield at the UAA Fine Arts Building on Friday, March 25.

some English ones.

it’s always been my thing.

TNL: On that note, would you tell me a little bit about your style of music?

Moreno: My style is a bit of a mix of my influences. I love a lot of blues and soul; I love jazz, but at the same time I love Latin music, and it’s a mix of all that. And I’m very much influenced by old music from, like, the 1930s and 40s, 50s - up until the 60s I’d say.

Anything after that isn’t really my style. That’s mainly it; it’s just a mix of the genres that inspire me.

TNL: How do you like Los Angeles compared to Guatemala?

Moreno: It’s very different.

Guatemala is my home country, and that’s where all my family lives. It’s also a third world country, so there are a lot of issues that we deal with every day.

There’s a lot of poverty, there’s a lot of violence. But at the same time, it’s a really beautiful country.

It’s very different from L.A. - L.A. is just a huge city, you know? In Guatemala, in the city where I lived, is not that big. There’s only 2 million people living in the city. Outside of the city, is just mountains and volcanoes; it’s very

TNL: How long have you been performing; singing, songwriting - the whole nine yards?

very supportive because they always knew that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to do music and sing, and they knew that I couldn’t stay in Guatemala to pursue music on a bigger level.

So, they are very, very supportive.

Of course, we miss each other a lot, but I go back home maybe two or three times a year, and they’re always happy to hear of all the things that I’m doing here. This is my second home, but I consider it more like my work place - this is where I work.

TNL: How difficult was it to get started up here, when you first came to study music? And how did you get to where you are now - touring around the

TNL: Is there anything else that you think I should know?

Moreno: My second album, “Illustrated Songs,” is being released on April 5, and that I will be playing songs from that album at the concert.

TNL: Thank you so much for the interview, and I can’t wait to see you up here.

Moreno: You got it.

Gaby Moreno will be performing at the Fine Arts Building with Buddy Wakefield on Friday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free to students taking six or more credit hours with a valid UAA ID. General admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets are sold at the Student Union Info Desk, and online at www.uaatix.com.

GAME REVIEW

New ‘Torchlight’ release as good as the original

By Bryan Dunagan The Northern Light

“Torchlight” is a Diablo-esque dungeon crawler that came out in 2009 for PC. Since that time, it has become possibly one of the only games that could take “Diablo” off of its throne, now that it has been formatted for the XBOX 360.

It’s very clear that the developers spent a lot of time porting over the controls to be mapped to the XBOX 360 controller.

In fact, it even works sometimes better than a mouse-and-keyboard configuration.

However, juggling through the inventory management gets a little too cluttered and is hard to get used to at first, but the clunky menu system does have its purpose and once figured out, it’s functional.

After the player has chosen their class of either standard ranged, melee or magic users, the player learns that the town of Torchlight is being plagued by monsters and a rogue mage-miner.

The world runs off of a mineral called Ember, but the ember in Torchlight is tainted by darkness that turns regular miners into

monsters and corrupts others.

So it falls on the player to clean up the infection and save the town by doing odd jobs for NPCs and merchants.

In standard fashion, the player starts at level one, and collects gear and gold.

This same tried and true formula is still amusing, and leads to an inhuman addiction throughout the campaign that takes around 10-20 hours to complete.

One of the unique features of “Torchlight” is that the player starts with a pet, and they can put unused gear on them and have the pets sent into town to sell the items for a profit while the player continues adventuring. It’s a great little system and alleviates the whole “what do I toss and what do I keep” problem in these sorts of games.

Another facet of this game is that the art style is cartoonish and looks like it might have been serialized in some American Saturday morning cartoon.

It’s a great art style and engine that makes the game look great, even two years after its release. The game is still great to look at, and the gameplay is still sugar-

the triggers with which to use specials. The left and right bumpers are your health and mana potions. Pressing up or down on the D-Pad changes between the two sets. And, the controls are very responsive, almost disturbingly so.

Another difference from the PC version is that the game doesn’t allow the player to choose whether or not they stand still when they attack or chase the target. The player stays rooted to one spot and does the attack animation. This works so much better, and allows for the player to get out of a lot of tight spots when they are surrounded.

In all, the title is still the same great game, and an excellent port. This just shows that consoles can be used to pull PC quality titles and make them work its game that everyone should have, and at 15 bucks, it’s a steal for almost endless loot gathering.

coated crack cocaine.

In the XBOX 360 version, instead of the special abilities mapped to a certain function key, there are two face buttons and

Game: Torchlight Developer: Runic Games Release Date: March 9, 2011

★ ★★ ★★

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A&E| March 22, 2011

PERFORMANCE REVIEW

GLEEPROV: A hilarious and entertaining diversion CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 improv performance. Their opening number, at first, seemed rather subdued. Three performers stood off to one side while a projector screen began playing the music video to “Take on Me,” by A-ha. For a few seconds, it appeared as though the group was going to sing along to the music video.

Instead, they sang the internet parody of the video, “Pipe Wrench Fight.” The song is a literal interpretation of the original video, and quite a hilarious one. During a musical interlude partway through, the UAA Improv Troupe called out additional video interpretations from the balcony. The song was a perfect segway from one club’s performance to the next, since the parody lyrics kept the crowd laughing just as much as the improv troupe did.

Each of the three singers was fantastic. If any one has heard the original, (and you really should,) you know how high quite a few of the notes are, and know a few windows you’ve broken trying to hit them yourself. Lamont “Alex” Pierce, Nathan Huey, and Nichole Chamberlin alternated as leading voices and back-up vocals, and each added a distinct and unique quality to the performance.

Another song of note was the group rendition of “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from “Mary Poppins.” The number began traditionally, but then group added choreography and beatboxing that upped the energy of the song and made it as fun and fresh as it was charming. Devin Frey’s stage presence as soloist was brilliant. His attitude and smooth attempts to entice the crowd were well received and added a small level of devilmay-care appeal to the performance.

Possibly the number that had the crowd moving in their seats the most was “Shoop,” originally performed by Salt N Pepa. Sarah Shoemaker and Melody Statler were obnoxiously sexy and fun to watch maneuver in and out of the audience as they rapped, bringing the spectators into the performance in a way unique to the number. The use of their exaggerated facial expressions made the song even more enjoyable.

Perhaps the only disappointment during the entire night was that the Glee Club and Improv Troupe performances were mostly separate. After seeing the combination of both talents in “Pipe Wrench Fight,” there definitely appears to be potential for more entertaining numbers by combining their skills more in the future.

Overall, the entire show was incredible. The improv was never dull and kept the crowd laughing, while the concert performances at times rivaled or surpassed what fans of the hit FOX show, “Glee,” have come to expect from their Emmy Award-winning idols on television. The next time either group puts on a show, especially a free one like “Gleeprov II,” know that it’s a great way to spend a Friday night.

UAA Glee Club members sing and dance to ‘Come Together’ by The Beatles.

Lamont ‘Alex’ Pierce looks on as the rest of the Glee performers sing Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition.’

Jaron Carlson fusses with Eric Holzschuh’s hair reluctantly during improv set.

UAA Glee Club perpares to close the show with Katy Perry’s ‘Firework.’

PHOTOS BY HEATHER HAMILTON/TNL

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March 22, 2011 | A&E

TNL 2.22-2.28.2011

FOCUS

MUSIC

Jazz Fighting Hunger Anchorage jazz musicians are raising money for the Food Bank of Alaska by performing concerts and donating 100% of the proceeds. They will be performing on Sunday, March 27 at 7 p.m. at the Wilda Marston Theatre in the Loussac Library.

Tickets are $18.50, and can be purchased online at www. centertix.net.

Carrie Newcomer Singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer will be playing a show at Snow Goose on Saturday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $22.50 each, and can be purchased online at www.centertix.net.

Seven Mary Three Rock group Seven Mary Three will be performing at Chilkoot Charlie’s on Saturday, March 26 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 for this 21 and over show, and can be purchased online at www.fla.vor.us/groovetickets.

Dream Sharing Michelle Scaman, a term instructor in Communications and Discourse Studies at UAA, will be giving a free lecture in the Campus Bookstore on dream sharing, and the social construction of reality on Monday, March 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Parking is also free.

LECTURE

WORKSHOP

Digital Photography Workshop Roy Corral, a professional photographer, is offering a free three hour workshop for those interested in learning about digital photography. The workshop takes place on Sunday, March 27 at the Eagle River Nature Center from noon until 3 p.m. To sign up, call (907) 694-2108.

Compiled by Heather Hamilton e-mail arts@thenorthernlight.org to submit an event!

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