October 28, 2014 by The Northern Light

October 28, 2014

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UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

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United Methodist Church gives out free dinner

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‘Pre-Sequel’ not worth the price

Q&A with Bill Nye the Science Guy

SEA KAYAKING Students in a UAA sea kayaking class prepare for departure at Lowell Point, Alaska.

Photo by EVAN DODD

SEE Kayak

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Photo by adam eberhardt

Bill Nye walks up the stairs to the stage Oct. 20 before his lecture in the West High School auditorium.

By Diego Barros-Barnes

arts@thenorthernlight.org

Bill Nye, born William Sanford Nye, was one of the most influential science educators of the 1990s. His show “Bill Nye the Science Guy” is still played in science classrooms around the world. His recent work has involved educating others about the accepted scientific theories regarding climate change and evolution. KRUA 88.1 news director Connor Keesecker interviewed Nye on Oct. 20 before his lecture at West High School. KRUA: Thank you so much for coming here. First of all, it’s a big reason why we’re all here, but why do you think that “Bill Nye the Science Guy” — the original show that you did in the 90’s — why do you think that was so successful? Nye: “Well, first of all, I put my heart and soul into it. Everybody worked really hard on it. The other thing is we focused on pure science rather than technology, which is important, and the people I worked with had a terrific sense of humor. I try to be funny as well as, anyone? Funny looking, huh? (Laughs.) But the people I worked with are really funny. The other thing is we had really good research about what age to aim it at: people 10 years old. After 10 years old, you are not going to get your lifelong passion for anything, really.”

Wells Fargo vs. Alaska Airlines Center Battle of the on-campus sports facilities

Why do you think it’s 10 years old that kind of captures kids? “That’s the maximum. That’s it. It’s probably 7 or something. It ain’t 17, but by the time someone is 10, he or she has decided what they are into. And this is an important thing when it comes to where to spend money on education, what to do with tax dollars. And elementary sciences are sorely underfunded. …” What values of your show can be implemented into those taxpayer dollars? Within classrooms and the education system, what sort of values from your show could be adopted in classrooms and presenting education and science in general? “My understanding is that many classes use the ‘Science Guy’ show during class. I don’t want to shock you all. I tell anybody who has an option to teach science, it’s great you got (sic) props. You can blow stuff up. You have a huge advantage over history teachers or English teachers, language arts. You have a huge advantage because you have props. You have things that at first might seem like magic.”

Working out is an important part of any human’s life. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, physical activity can relieve stress and curb the symptoms of depression. That’s why good workout facilities on campus are so important. When students are affected by academic stresses throughout most of the semester, they need a place to be active and relieve that stress. UAA has two on-campus workout facilities: The Wells Fargo Sports Complex, or WFSC, and the Alaska Airlines Center, or AAC. Each has its own benefits, but non-athletes say there is some left to be desired from campus workout facilities

as a whole. The WFSC facility features 17 strength training machines, six bikes, four ellipticals, two stair steppers, four treadmills, one row machine, three dumbell racks, one squat rack, two bench presses, 17 medicine balls and five yoga balls. The general AAC facility features two strength training machines, four bikes, three ellipticals, four treadmills and one dumbbell rack. At first glance the WFSC has much more to offer the students, especially regarding weightbearing exercise, But despite this, students feel that more could be offered. “Wells Fargo could be better — more free weights, more squat racks, people not curling in

SEE Gym

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One of your professors at Cornell was Carl Sagan. “That’s right. That’s amaz-

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Photo by Helen lindamood

Sophomore mechanical engineering major Garrison Theroux bench presses at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex fitness center on Saturday afternoon.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 28, 2014

‘A Place at the Table’ By Matt “L.J.” Johnson Contributor

The saying goes that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but at the First United Methodist Church on Eighth Avenue in downtown Anchorage, one can find a free dinner. The church holds an open door, come-onecome-all community supper the first Sunday of every month. They call it “A Place at the Table.” “We do communion the first Sunday of every month,” said church administrator Jennifer Miller. “It’s the Lord’s table. We thought it would be a good idea to extend that and welcome everyone in for a meal, no matter what, no strings attached.” The dinner is a collaborative effort between the First Samoan United Methodist Church and the First United Methodist Church. The menu varies each time. Steve Maga from the Samoan UMC is the organizer of the event. He calls it an effort to bridge economic and cultural gaps in the downtown community.

Maga said attendance has grown each time since the first dinner, except for the first Sunday of October. He attributes this lowered attendance to the disbursement of the permanent fund dividend. “I think the need is lower because of the PFD, but we’ve got a busload coming over from Bean’s Cafe right now,” Maga said. “We were bussing people for the first few dinners but were hoping that they would start to find their way here on their own.” Steve stressed that the dinner is not meant solely for the homeless, and he said he wished everyone in the community knew about it and participated. A 2010 study for the Food Bank of Alaska reported 41,000 Anchorage residents received food assistance. On Oct. 3 a downtown photography exhibit called “Hunger Through My Eyes” opened, highlighting the personal experiences of Anchorage residents who struggle to keep their cupboards full. “We could always use more volunteers and more people to come eat!” Miller said. The church plans to continue the dinner perpetually.

The event’s organizers invite everyone to become a part of their extended family.

Photos by Matt “L.J.” Johnson

Volunteers from both the Samoan United Methodist Church and the First United Methodist Church run a free dinner event on the first sunday of every month

An Anchorage man gets ready to enjoy his no-strings-attached dinner.

All faiths are welcome at A Place at the Table. Organizers stress it isn’t about church — it’s about community.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 28, 2014

KAYAK: A weekend at sea

A well-meaning column rife with clunky metaphors and horrible advice, Orange Rhymes With is the go-to place to break the monotony of classes and laugh at someone else’s misfortune. UAA kayaking students paddle back to shore from North Beach.

By Evan Dodd Contributor

In a last-ditch attempt to obliterate any chance of passing my few remaining midterms I decided to make the obvious decision to take sea kayaking at the last minute. If you’ve been even remotely following these columns this semester, you’ll recognize this as just another installment in the growing trend of my lack of academic awareness. Much like backpacking, sea kayaking was offered through the outdoor recreation academic program. However, this course was jam-packed into two weeks rather than half a semester. Our training involved intensive pool sessions to practice various paddle strokes, “wet exits” and rescue techniques, and a great deal of research into local weather conditions for the excursion. The trip itself started on the outskirts of Seward, where we were set to paddle out to Caine’s Head, a natural rocky cliff housing an abandoned WWII-era military fort. We were set to do a short paddle to our camp at North Beach, do a day paddle and hike on day two, and then return on the third day to drive back to Anchorage in hopes of getting at least some homework done. The first day began without issue, and the water was the calmest I’ve ever seen outside of a bathtub. We saw all manners of sea life, from seals and aquatic birds to jellyfish that seemed to be in a competition to see which could display the most outlandish color patterns. Setting up camp was a breeze with the clear weather, and we were all thrilled to get to work cooking our

UAA kayakers float through the mouth of Tonsina Creek.

meals for the evening. Before the trip my camp partner and I — having taken the backpacking course where every ounce of weight had to be evaluated prior to packing — were met with the startling revelation that weight wasn’t going to be a constraint on this trip. Admittedly we may have gone a bit overboard after we made this discovery. While our meals on the backpacking trips had consisted of gourmet chili-mac and dehydrated Thanksgiving-style dinners, for this trip we kicked it up a notch — or ten. With no weight restrictions we brought giant red salmon fillets, juicy steaks and caribou sausage and eggs for breakfast. My tent mate even made a garlic butter and white wine reduction sauce for the steak in the middle of a coastal rainforest. We didn’t just ring the dinner bell for any local bears, I’m fairly sure we just outright confused them. While we had also each packed ocean rods in hope of catching rockfish, our catch of the day instead consisted of a deceptive kelp bed and the occasional tangled mass of seaweed. Unfortunately this meant that we missed the opportunity to practice a rescue in real conditions, though this did allow me to avoid putting my dry suit — which, for some reason resembled a Star Trek officer’s uniform — to the test. On day two we hiked up to the top of Caine’s Head where the fort was located. Exploring Fort McGilvray was something that I’ve always wanted to do, but never had a group large enough to justify going with. The entire fort must be explored with a headlamp and a healthy appreciation for horror movie cliches. The experience certainly didn’t disappoint, from the garage-size

Photos by eVAN DODD

indentations left over from massive gun turrets to the massive maze of concrete walls designed to withstand a full-scale attack. A previous explorer even helpfully scrawled the words “you will die” on the walls for us, something that sent me into an uncontrollable laughing fit in the veritable mountain fortress high above Resurrection Bay. On the final day the winds picked up, and we hastily broke camp to try and limit our exposure to the wind during the paddle. A trip that had taken us under three hours at a leisurely pace turned into a five-hour excursion due to rough seas and a strong headwind. At one point, an experienced student was hit broadside by a wave and suffered what can only be described at the most exuberant mishap I’ve ever seen. While my campmate and I pulled up next to her boat to do an assisted rescue, she was all smiles and laughter as she struggled to get back into the kayak amid the rough waves. The trip ended without incident, as we all made it back to the bus safely and promptly fell asleep before we had even left Seward. Being that this was my final outdoor class of the semester, the last class meeting was far more bitter than sweet. But, armed with my plan to take some combination of winter camping and backcountry skiing in the spring, and the knowledge that we’ll soon have a non-academic version of the program up and running, I suppose I’ll be able to grind through the rest of my (now woefully boring) semester. Until then, I’m content with my six billion pictures and enough memories to last a lifetime.

Students stop for lunch on the way to Caine’s Head.

FEATURES

SEAWOLF

SLUG

In the year 2013, an alien brain slug from one of the galaxy’s most feared empires crash-landed on Earth and assumed control of a lowly reporter at this newspaper. These are his stories.

By Klax Zlubzecon

Translated by George Hyde

I saw a picture on Facebook that summed up my opinions on this whole Ebola thing quite nicely: “More Americans have been married to Kim Kardashian than have died from Ebola.” That’s a pretty sad way to look at it, but I don’t think Ebola is going to be a big deal in America as long as we are careful. And from what I’ve seen, America’s a pretty careful country. It may take some persuasion, but I think

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 28, 2014

Ebola: What me, worry? you humans can handle this. Diseases aren’t really that dangerous to our slug empire because A) we’re a hardy folk, and; B) we technically act like a disease. Our invasive hive mind allows many conquered species to focus and create cures for their medical issues. In a sense, our “disease” spreads out and kills other diseases by necessity. We don’t want to enslave a species that can’t do some work, after all. But really, what is Ebola? Put very simply, it’s a virus that gets in a person’s system through bodily fluids. It sits there for two weeks, and then induces nasty things like vomiting, internal and external bleeding, and eventually, death. Death from this disease is very likely — the disease currently has a 50 percent mortality rate, and there’s no sure treatment yet. It sounds pretty terrifying, and it’s wrecked havoc across West Africa, but here’s the thing. As far as spreadability goes, Ebola is pretty hard to spread. Our empire has seen much nastier, and while there should be some caution about who’s going where and where they’re sneezing, it’s still nothing we can’t solve with a little carefulness. For example, if we applied our current precautions against airborne terrorism to Ebola, that would lock down the disease for long enough to let it run its course and not really affect anybody else. I’m not saying that airport security isn’t invasive enough — they really need to tone it down in some respects — but this is a chance for the TSA to actually do some good. Then we’d need to begin testing for the virus. We’ll need to get the word out that if anyone has ever been in the same square mile as any Ebola victim, he or she needs to get tested immediately. If the person tests positive, keep him or her in isolation and try experimental treatment. If the virus runs through the victim’s body without causing death, he or she is not done yet. Keep the subject isolated for however long the virus remains in the body, which is usually two weeks. Keep close tabs on the sub-

ject until he or she won’t pose a threat to others. As I mentioned before: More Americans have been married to Kim Kardashian than have died from Ebola — and you can keep it that way if you’re careful! Hell, several airports across the country have already started screening passengers from West Africa for the virus, and the Department of Homeland Security has jumped on board, too. America is ready for this virus, and I’m somewhat confident that you guys have this under control, at least in this country. Just remember the all-important line from Douglas Adams — a line that I promise will land in handbooks and propaganda when the empire arrives here — “don’t panic.” News networks all across the country are crapping their pants in fear whenever someone in the United States even has the possibility of contracting Ebola. Whenever someone new comes down with it, it instantly becomes a trending topic on most of the social networks. And yes, that news deserves to be reported and shared. But I think we may be a bit too paranoid about Ebola. The precautions I just laid out are not that hard to implement. I may be underestimating human error here, but as long as we’re at least a little cautious about it, we can fight this off pretty easily. Next will come the daunting task of helping out in other countries that are affected by this plague, because leaving it sitting around to mutate and evolve in West Africa isn’t a good idea. But as for how we’ll do that, well ... I think current medicinal science may need to pick up the pace a bit. That’s a far more difficult task, and I’m afraid I don’t have any concrete ideas at the moment. Our empire wants a nice healthy species, so we believe in you!

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. EMBRACE THE SEAWOLF SLUG.

SEAWOLVES

face-off against

Lake Superior State 7:07pm

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31 & 01 OCT

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On sale at Sullivan Arena box office and all Ticketmaster locations.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 28, 2014

BILL NYE: The Science Guy talks space, education and the future c o ntinued f r om c o v er

be’ because I’m pretty confident it will happen sooner or later. It will change the world. Utterly change the world. ing. It was a clerical error.” Just think what our world would be Explain that — how was it a clerical like if you couldn’t navigate across the oceans ‘cause you thought the sun went error? “‘Cause the people I went to school around the earth. People got around the with are so freaking smart. I don’t know Mediterranean with that mathematical what I was doing in that class. But I got model but it couldn’t go any farther than that. It didn’t work, ‘cause it wasn’t right. in. I did OK.” It was a good first approximation. Now, if weather reports are off by two What sort of impact did (Sagan) have on your life and in your role of becom- hours, people start complaining. Weather ing basically a science communicator reports are from satellites — space assets — and we wouldn’t have any of those because he was very — “Hey guys I’m missing my pin! This without space exploration. People talk all the time, ‘Well, we landed on the moon’ is tragic!” — which is true. And that was cool, but the influence of space exploration in the Carl Sagan pin? early world was more profound than “No, my Planthat — weather etary Society pin. communicaGod, this is really “...the objective of the “Science tions, defense. weird. Anyway, I When people Guy” show was to change the became the CEO of fight wars they the planetary sociworld. So we will see if one of rely entirely on ety. It must have assets in space fallen off in all this you can get that done. I’ll give to guide missiles screwing around. I and stuff. So it’s you 10 more years, OK?” became the CEO of limitless.” the planetary society, which was an organization he started. For crying out Are you encouraged by recent advances in potentially space tourism and loud, a huge effect on my life. I joined the planetary society in 1980. making a sort of new age in space withI was a member, messing around. With in the 21st century? “Everybody loves to talk about space the success of the show, I ended up on the board. Then I was vice president. Then tourism. Everybody loves to talk about four years ago I left the room or some- the new rocket companies. That’s great. thing and now I’m on the payroll. I’m the It’s good. Bring it on, do it all. Just keep in mind that going into low head guy now. So it had a huge effect on earth orbit, almost 600 people have flown my life. And he (Sagan) talked about climate in LEO. That is no longer the frontier. change in 1980. In context of a nuclear It’s no longer to boldly go where no one exchange which would really be a drag. has gone before — now (it’s) to timidly But the computer models that are used go where almost 600 have already been. now for climate change research really The idea is to go farther and deeper into derive from those early, early computer space, and anything that engages people models associated with setting the world will be good. Also, the great thing about space touron fire with their nuclear weapons.” ism I think is that more people have this Why do you think it is so important perspective of the world from above the that the U.S. in particular should atmosphere. Everyone who has been focus on space when we have so many there says it’s profound. It just changes the way you think about the earth. There unresolved problems here on earth? “So space exploration brings out the are no political boundaries visible. There best in us. Space exploration is where are so many clouds. And you can see that we solve problems that have never been it’s curved. And it just makes you realize solved before. And when you go explor- that we are all in this thing together. You ing in space — when you go exploring can’t get off. Sorry. ‘I want to live on Mars!’ You anywhere — two things are going to happen: You are going to make discoveries, can’t — that’s… you are not going to do and you are going to have an adventure. that this weekend. It’s a ways off.” There will be something exciting. If you just think about how much That is something that I read that you space exploration and astronomy has were interested in doing for a while was changed the world already — and we potentially becoming an astronaut. “Oh yeah, I applied to be an astronaut haven’t found evidence of life elsewhere four times. But after Christa McAuliffe — that will be profound. And I say ‘will

got killed, they were not going to fly a guy like me. If they killed The Science Guy —” It would be really bad PR. “Yeah! It would be bad for NASA. Yeah. But if you kill anybody, it’s bad. People say, ‘That means that we took risks,’ which is sort of true. You guys don’t remember this, but three of the world’s foremost flyers — space flyers — were killed on the ground. Everybody was just freaked out. But people pressed on because it was a matter of national prestige. When you have paying customers — space tourists — if there is an accident that will be really bad, so people are being very careful, just (as) in the modern airplane. It’s really hard to get hurt in an airplane, in an airliner crash. Small planes and you can get hurt, bring it on. Cars — you can get in a car wreck just like that, but airliners are amazingly safe. Amazing.”

With other things you have been an advocate for, especially in the media, lately is climate change and also with your debate with Ken Ham on evolution. Do you think it’s healthy for people to be skeptical of these scientific concepts, and how should people navigate when they are not very educated on science dealing with these deeply researched topics? “The word ‘skeptic’ to me is really important and an important thing to understand. To be skeptical means to think critically about what is true and what is reasonable. That is a completely whole other thing from being cynical. ‘Ah, that’s not true,’ and we have this enormous problem in the states, where people are denying climate change. By one reasonable reckoning, the scientific consensus on climate change is somewhat stronger than the consensus on cigarettes and cancer. I laugh, but it’s really troublesome. But what these deniers have been able to do is equate scientific uncertainty, in the uneducated or person who is unfamiliar with his or her view, with doubt about the whole thing and that’s wrong. So skepticism is great — cynicism is not. Climate change is happening. We need to do all we can to address it. Now whether or not you really want to rely on authority exclusively for your information, climate deniers are not authorities. The intergovernmental panel on climate change really are the world’s best people at this. They are not kidding, and in Alaska you see it every year, right? The Antarctic ice sheet is growing or is bigger than it’s been in a long time. The arctic ice sheet is going away.”

Do you believe the media has played a role in overplaying non-climate change believers? “There has been a tradition in journalism to present both sides. They did with the cigarette debate in the 1960s, and I think we should move on from that. I have a sense that it’s generational. That is to say the people denying climate change now, generally are much older. This is to say, people are used to the way it was when they were growing up. It is literally incredible that humans just messing around doing their thing could change the climate of an entire planet, but the key to that is when you have all, almost 7.2 billion, people breathing and burning we are changing the climate.” Most of the kids who watch your show are roughly college age now, and you had a particular popularity with this group. What lasting impact do you believe your show in the ‘90s had on this generation? Are you optimistic that this generation will be more scientifically literate? “I am very optimistic. I can’t get over how many of you people watched the show! It’s amazing to me. It’s gratifying. I can’t tell you how many times people come up to me saying, ‘The reason I’m an engineer, the reason I’m a physician, the reason I’m a venture capital’ or whatever, ‘The reason I accept climate change is because I watched the “Science Guy” show.’ That is so cool! The goal, and there is a document that the Smithsonian has expressed interest in, where we have what I like to call ‘the rules of the road’ and the objective of the ‘Science Guy’ show was to change the world. So we will see if one of you can get that done. I’ll give you 10 more years, OK?” ... Do you think that science education and media is making a comeback? Is it in decline? Or is it just diversifying? “When we made the ‘Science Guy’ show, it was just the start of cable television. CNN was a novelty and people were saying, ‘Ah, that will never work.’ Well, now there are thousands, well really, millions of other things that you could do rather than watch television. That is to say there are certainly a million websites. So it is diffused. As far as the science channel and those other, travel, history, they are making television that people want to watch ... the ‘Science Guy’ show focused on pure science, and we had real learning objectives. We had a real thing we were trying to do to affect the curriculum in schools, and we spelled that out on the rules of the road document. I’m proud of it.”

Photo by Adam eberhardt

UAA Student Activities programming team member Demry Membane and West High School student body president Anne Vollertsen speak with Bill Nye in the green room Oct. 20 before his lecture in the West Anchorage High School auditorium.

A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 28, 2014

‘Les Misérables’ stuns on Anchorage stage The classic musical remains a gorgeous, heart-rending theatrical experience By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org

Since its premiere in 1985, “Les Misérables” has been a musical staple of modern theater. To this day, it remains a masterful adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel. The production running in Anchorage this week lived up the musical’s outstanding legacy, The effects in the Anchorage show were very impressive and the roles were incredibly well-performed. “Les Misérables” tells the tale of Jean Valjean, a criminal who was arrested many years ago for stealing a loaf of bread. He is released on parole 19 years after his sentence. He tries stealing again

from a priest, but the priest lets him keep what he stole so he can evade police capture. Moved by this compassionate gift, Valjean swears to become a new person — a passionate man of God that seeks to redeem his past sins. Of course, he is only one of several characters in the story that is fleshed out in this manner, but to go into details about how well the musical fleshes out each of the very complex characters would take several long books, and possibly more than that. Just know that no matter how good or bad the performances are, the several tragedies and events that take place in the story still give audiences goosebumps even to this day. It’s familiar to many, and the show’s program contains a neat summary of the

plot’s events. The story is very complex, but it’s more about the characters and overarching themes than it is about the main events that happen. It’s a nice gesture that allows the emotions of the cast to shine through, regardless of story confusion. Thankfully, the performances by this particular run of the show are spectacular. The character of Inspector Javert in particular is given an incredibly threatening performance while still being sympathetic when he needs to be. Actor Randall Dodge fills him with an Ahab-like furor as he chases down Valjean. Young local actors portray the characters of Young Cosette, Young Éponine and Gavroche, and they give the show a nice Anchorage touch. Their perfor-

mances aren’t perfect, but they lend their characters a sense of childlike innocence. The effects are very impressive. The massive onstage barricade serves as a crucial reminder that “Les Misérables” is a whole different beast on the stage than it is on the page or the screen. The lighting is used very cleverly, especially in the second act when things start taking a turn for the worse. The show remains a spectacular sight to see. “Les Misérables” was and still is a timeless story, especially in musical, operatic form. The performances of the show’s run in Anchorage only amplify this, and it’s a show that everyone needs to see live at least once in his or her lifetime. It’s a touching and tear-jerking experience that is masterfully produced.

NOT ALL ONLINE CLASSES ARE CREATED EQUAL! Choose the right online class. KPC is known for offering the best online classes in the state of Alaska, and our students are letting us know! At Kenai Peninsula College, quality is our top priority. Our students’ experiences speak for themselves...

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“Wonderful class − wonderful teacher. Well organized. It was online but it rivaled in−person classes. It just goes to show that online can be just as good as in− person if it is thought out and well planned.” “I didn’t even know an online experience could be that dynamic and interactive. The experience took learning from home to a “This online course has whole new level!” worked well for me because of my work schedule on the North Slope. I can work ahead when I’m at home and that’s a huge reason for my current success with these online classes.”

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 28, 2014

‘Pre-Sequel’ is the same old thing By George Hyde and Diego Barros-Barnes gchyde@thenorthernlight.org, arts@thenorthernlight.org

In 2010, players were first introduced to the world of “Borderlands,” a strange mix of “Mad Max” with “Diablo” with a wickedly dark sense of humor. The world expanded and became bigger and better with “Borderlands 2,” but now players are faced with a somewhat stagnant new entry, whose title embraces said stagnation: “Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.” “Pre-Sequel,” as the title says, takes place between the first two titles on the moon of Pandora — the planet from those titles — called Elpis. Handsome Jack, who will go on to become the villain in the second game, is a low-level programmer who is trapped on a base near the moon. He hires four vault hunters to search for a vault on Elpis, but a jamming signal coming from Elpis complicates matters for Jack, and the group heads down to see what’s the matter. The strongest part of “Pre-Sequel” is Jack himself. He starts the game with relatively noble intentions, but as the tale goes on, he starts to succumb to evil. Plus, even though he starts as a good guy, he’s

still the lovable jerk that he’s always been in the second game — or always will be. Unfortunately, there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered by “PreSequel’s” story. There are some moments that contradict with other moments in the other two titles, and several important plot threads are left unmentioned. “Pre-Sequel” has little else to offer. The game’s big selling point, the lowgravity moon shenanigans, amounts to little and even hinders with gameplay at times. For example, the vehicles in “PreSequel” handle terribly. Disregarding the relative lack of gravity, everything feels similar to the second game. The engine, menus, mechanics and even the game’s quick-start icon for the PC ports are ripped wholesale from “Borderlands 2.” This gives the game a pervading sense of laziness that makes it hard to appreciate the experience. It’s still fun, sure — the shoot-and-loot gameplay is back and still as addictive as ever, even though a lot of the quests still feel very drudging. And

while a lot of the series’ trademark humor has been lost, a lot of the characters are still very entertaining. But there are also bugs everywhere, suggesting that “Pre-Sequel” has been rushed and/or poorly playtested. It’s hard to shake the feeling that this title should have cost $30 as a “Borderlands 2” expansion instead of $60 as a full game, plus another $30 for the downloadable content that will inevitably come to “Pre-Sequel.” To charge $60 feels crimi-

Game: “Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel” Developers: 2K Australia, Gearbox Software Platforms: PS3, 360, PC, Mac, Linux Release Date: Oct. 14, 2014

nal, especially to those playing alone. It will please hardcore “Borderlands” nuts who crave more “Borderlands” at any cost, as well as those who simply want to hear more of Handsome Jack’s backstory. But there’s little value in this package aside from that. When it goes on sale, it may be worth checking out. But for now it’s not worth the money.

+ Fleshes out Handsome Jack + Same great shoot-and-loot gameplay - Feels like an expansion pack

LIGHTS OUT POLAR LAB 8 p.m. to midnight Nov. 14 Celebrate winter in the north with our late-night creative blowout Get your tickets today

Part of the Anchorage Museum’s Polar Lab

Museum members enjoy free general admission. Join today!

SMITHSONIAN SPOTLIGHT Tlingit master weaver Teri Rofkar discusses spruce root basketry 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6

FIRST FRIDAY Enjoy exhibition openings, artist lecture and more 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 7

anchoragemuseum.org

RAREFIED LIGHT A juried exhibition of fine art photography Opens Nov. 7

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 28, 2014

FOREIGN FILM FANATIC

‘El Infierno’ is pitch black almost to a fault By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor

Dealing with fictionalized tales of real world violence is tricky. Such is the case with the pitch-black Mexican comedy, “El Infierno.” On the one hand, not a shred of light gets into the story, and it feels oppressive. It’s two and a half hours of pure darkness. On the other hand, its subject matter, the brutal world of drug cartels, is inherently oppressive and brutal. So what’s the viewer left with? A dark comedy that’s so dark it almost isn’t funny. Freshly deported from America, Benny (Damian Alcazar, “Olvidados”) returns home to Mexico to find his home a bleak wasteland. Those friends of his who haven’t been gunned down have turned to the cartel life to get by. In a confrontation with his mom, Benny finds out that his brother, nicknamed “El Diablo,” was killed. Unable to find a job anywhere else, Benny gets involved with the narcotics business. This story has been told many times before in different contexts: Man comes home to find his home crime-ridden and, despite his efforts, can’t escape getting sucked into the madness too. Where “El Infierno” differs is its execution. It’s shot in beautifully saturated colors. In one technically impressive sequence, Benny and his friend El Cochiloco (Joaquin

Cosio, “The Lone Ranger”) execute a man in the desert. Director Estrada frames his players perfectly from three points of view all in one long, dazzling take. There are numerous sequences like this that set the movie apart from other, less impressive cartel epics like “Savages” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico.” And like those movies, Mexico is inseparable from “El Infierno.” Technically, the movie’s a comedy. But the laughs are chuckles at best and come infrequently. But maybe that’s because it’s easier to get wrapped up in the darkness than the humor. There’s something to be said for the sheer gall it takes to make this content funny. When it works, it works just fine — it’s just hard to spot when it works. To add onto that, one important storyline is never fully resolved. Someone vows revenge and the movie never follows up on the character’s promise. While “El Infierno” is not perfect, it mostly lives up to its ambition. And with content as dark as this, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the violence rather than the characters’ inner lives. Thankfully, Estrada is discerning enough to know when to show the cartel’s brutality and when not to. While it’s not a gut buster, it does offer some chuckles, but more often, it’s a punch in the gut that will take the viewer’s breath away. Just remember: When the credits roll, be sure to take a deep breath.

Title: “El Infierno” Director: Luis Estrada Release date: Sept. 3, 2010 Genre: Dark comedy Country: Mexico

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, October 28, 2014

GYM: Campus workout facilities

c ontinue d f r om c o v er the squat racks,” said mechanical engineering major Nick Hazelton. “(An) incline bench press is definitely necessary — they don’t have one readily set up.” The AAC does not have options for general students to weight lift, but the facility has better hours. It is open daily from 7 a.m.-10 p.m., as opposed to the complex schedule the WFSC has in place to accommodate for physical education classes. The treadmills and ellipticals in the AAC also have monitors, so students can connect to Netflix and watch movies while they work out. The AAC has an extravagant workout room that is exclusive to university athletes. Some non-athletes feel they were shorted in the AAC workout facilities because the athletes-only facility at the AAC is much larger and has more equipment. “The workout room is already too small to be in, compared to the athlete’s room,” said junior nursing major Julie Medez. “With that being said, I think it’s only fair to have options. We don’t have to be scholar-athletes to have access to state-of-the-art sports facilities. We deserve to be part of the activities at the Alaska Airlines Center workout facilities as students of UAA.” Medez is currently working with the Residence Hall Association to transform the former workout room in the Gorsuch Commons into a yoga studio. The general consensus is that the workout facilities could be expanded. There is room for improvement at either facility. When asked about the workout facilities on campus, sophomore engineering major Garrison Theroux said, “They both suck.” Until the facilities get expanded — if ever — students who want to lift weights should go to the WFSC because it offers more weight lifting options. But if cardio-focused students want to watch “Orange is the New Black” while running, they should go to the AAC.

Photo by Adam eberhardt

Weight-lifters excercise in the Alaska Airlines Center’s workout facility.

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, October 28, 2014

OPINION

USUAA resolution against smoke-free policy disrespects students By Yesenia Camarena and Valeria Delgacio Contributors

In the April 2014 General Student Elections, UAA students voted to adopt a comprehensive smoke-free policy. Students said yes to a smoke-free UAA campus. The referendum won. This referendum and proposed policy is now under review. If the policy that students voted on is adopted, the referendum clearly states the year prior to implementation is dedicated to education and awareness so that everyone on campus will know what the new policy will entail. The goal of this smoke-free policy is to change UAA’s culture into a healthier and more accessible environment for all students, faculty/staff, visitors, children and all those affected by harmful secondhand smoke. Two weeks ago, USUAA senators and representatives tried to pass a resolution that opposes the comprehensive smoke-free policy at the university. In effect, UAA’s student government tried

to bypass the election process. This is unjustifiable and ethically wrong. This move by our elected student officials does not reflect the student body they represent. It also undercuts and shows lack of respect to the democratic process by which we adhere. How can we respect and trust our elected student officials if they themselves cannot respect the referendum voted on by the majority of UAA student voters? There are also other issues with the referendum USUAA is attempting to pass. The data presented on the resolution is flawed and misleading. It states: “In Spring 2014, a representative sample of students were surveyed regarding attitudes and opinions towards restrictions on smoking at UAA; and over 62 percent of students support designated smoking zones on campus.” To clarify, the survey referred to on

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the resolution was the Student Life Survey, which was sent out to a nonrandom sample of 3,000 students. This is in no way “representative.” First, there are more than 15,000 UAA students, so only 2 percent of the UAA student body was given the survey; and of those given the survey, only 9 percent responded. Should USUAA really base its decision on whether UAA should have designated smoking areas on 2 percent of UAA students? But perhaps the most serious concern that students should be aware of is that one of the resolution’s authors is a USUAA senator who was part of a group called the Anti-Regulation Coalition. This group has been vocal against the smoke-free initiative and led opposition efforts to defeat the smoke-free referendum in the April election. This is a clear conflict of interest that goes against Article 20, Section 1 and 7, of the USUAA Constitution. Section 1 states, “Student representatives, when attending council meetings

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are expected to conduct business on the behalf of the student body, not for their own personal agenda.” Section 7 states, “Abuse of power will not be tolerated. Abuse of power includes but is not limited to use of ones elected position to force or otherwise coerce another to do their bidding, to gain preferential treatment ...” Passing the USUAA resolution opposing the comprehensive smoke-free policy referendum shows lack of respect to the UAA student body and would be subject to an ethics violation as per USUAA Constitution. USUAA leaders need to do the job they were elected to do — that is, to support the will of the student body they represent, regardless of their personal beliefs. It’s time UAA adopt a comprehensive smoke-free policy. We are ready for it. The students voted for it, and the recent UAA faculty and staff survey shows a strong support for this. Let us be the first UA campus to proudly say, “We are completely smoke-free!”

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OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 28, 2014

HOT TOPIC

“What do you plan to do for Halloween?”

Bo Rudkin

Emmanuel A. Dragune

Cerenity Protasel

Tykan Daly

Freshman / Art

Junior / Criminal Justice & Social Work

Freshman / Computer Science Engineering

Freshmen / Nursing

“I plan to hang out with my sister and just have a good time with my family.”

“I’m volunteering for the event taking place at the Student Union.”

“I’ll dress up as the 10th Doctor and volunteer for the Haunted Halloween Fun Night event.”

“Dress like a pumpkin and eat so much candy! I will need a stomach pump.”

Photos by James R. Evans

Hot Topic Questions and Comments compiled bY George Hyde

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 4,500. The University of Alaska Anchorage provides equal education and employment opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, Vietnam-era or disabled-veteran status, physical or mental disability, changes in marital status, pregnancy, or parenthood. The views expressed in the opinion section do not necessarily reflect the views of UAA or the Northern Light.

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Executive editor 786-1434 editor@thenorthernlight.org Kelly Ireland Managing Editor 786-1313 content@thenorthernlight.org Tulsi Patil Copy editor copy1@thenorthernlight.org Kierra Hammons news editor news@thenorthernlight.org Stephen Cress ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR news2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant FEATURES EDITOR features@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

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CONTRIBUTORS Evan Dodd Jacob Holley-Kline Matt “L.J.” Johnson Yesenia Camarena Valeria Delgacio

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